Food Standards Australia advises that the contaminated Pure Tassie Apple and Blackcurrant juices have a best before date of October 6, 2020, and were available for sale in the following stores:
NSW: Coles, IGA, Original Organic Juice
Queensland: Coles, IGA
Victoria: Coles, IGA
Tasmania: Hills Street Grocer, IGA Strahan, Port Cygnet Grocer, Macquarie Supermarket, IGA Dover, Oyster Cove Fruit and Vegetable Store
South Australia: Coles, Drake's, Foodland and On the Run stores
Western Australia: IGA
Says Food Standards Australia: ‘The recall is due to microbial (mycotoxin patulin) contamination. Food products contaminated with mycotoxins (patulin) may cause illness if consumed.
‘Any consumers concerned about their health should seek medical advice and should return the product to the place of purchase for a full refund.’
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says that such toxins are usually found in rotting apples.
‘Mycotoxins are naturally occurring toxins produced by certain moulds (fungi) and can be found in food,’ says WHO.
‘Mycotoxins can cause a variety of adverse health effects and pose a serious health threat to both humans and livestock.’
They add: ‘Patulin is a mycotoxin produced by a variety of moulds ... Often found in rotting apples and apple products, patulin can also occur in various mouldy fruits, grains and other foods. Major human dietary sources of patulin are apples and apple juice made from affected fruit. The acute symptoms in animals include liver, spleen and kidney damage and toxicity to the immune system. For humans, nausea, gastrointestinal disturbances and vomiting have been reported. Patulin is considered to be genotoxic however a carcinogenic potential has not been demonstrated yet.’
For further information please contact Juicy Isle Pty Ltd at www.juicyisle.com.au.