A popular supermarket milk has been recalled after it was found to contain a toxin that causes a rare but serious paralysing illness. A man was admitted to a Sydney hospital suffering severe symptoms drinking the milk.
Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) issued an alert early yesterday for the recall of Inside Out Nutritious Goods’ Unsweetened Almond Milk Collagen + Calcium + Prebiotics 1-litre product with the expiry date marking of 1 March 2023.
“The recall is due to potential biotoxin contamination (Botulinum toxin),” FSANZ said.
“Food products contaminated with Botulinum toxin may cause illness if consumed.”
The product is sold at Woolworths in NSW.
“Consumers should not [consume] this product. Any consumers concerned about their health should seek medical advice and should return the products to the place of purchase for a full refund,” the alert said.
Keira Glasgow, director of NSW Health’s One Health branch, told the Sydney Morning Herald that while foodborne botulism is very rare in Australia, the toxin can be extremely dangerous and can cause life-threatening illnesses.
“Early symptoms of food-borne botulism include weakness, fatigue and vertigo. While these symptoms occur commonly due to a number of health conditions, with botulism it is usually followed by blurred vision, dry mouth and difficulty swallowing. Nausea and vomiting may also occur,” she said.
“These symptoms can progress to paralysis of the arm muscles and continue down the body to the trunk and legs, and paralysis of breathing muscles can be fatal.
“We are urging anyone who has consumed this product and experiences these serious symptoms to seek immediate medical attention by visiting their nearest emergency department or calling Triple Zero (000) for emergency assistance.”
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