Following on the recall of Pick n Pay’s in-house as well as Eden Crunch Peanut Butter last week, the National Consumer Commission (NCC) has now called for the urgent tests by all peanut butter producers in the wake of even more products showing higher than acceptable levels of Aflatoxin.
Last week, the giant retailer announced the recall of its No-name brand of peanut butter as well as the Eden Crunch Peanut Butter, as it explained that it was discovered that higher than regulated levels of Aflatoxin were discovered in the products, which may constitute a health risk.
As a result, they requested customers who had peanut butter products to return them to their stores for a full refund if any product has expiry date between now and July 2025.
The retailer said the levels detected were higher than the regulatory threshold.
Health authorities such as the (WHO) said that large doses of aflatoxins were known to lead to acute poisoning, known as aflatoxicosis, and could be life threatening, usually through damage to the liver.
Aflatoxin has been reported to lead to health complications but not limited to nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.
In what has rung similar to the 2017 to 2018 outbreak of listeriosis in South Africa which claimed over 200 lives, the NCC has now recalled even more brands off the shelves.
Now Dischem’s Lifestyle 400 as well as 800g smooth and crunchy peanut butter distributed nationally have also been recalled.
Wazoogles Superfoods products mainly distributed in the Western Cape were among the brands that have raised concerns with local authorities.
The commission said manufacturer, House of Natural Butters (Pty) Ltd, had informed them that all these brands were found to have higher than legally acceptable levels of Aflatoxin as set out under R1145 Regulation Governing Tolerance of Fungus Produced Toxins in Foodstuffs, failing to meet the quality standards effectively rendering Lifestyle peanut butter, unsafe for human consumption.
Acting National Consumer Commissioner, Thezi Mabuza, said while the commission was investigating the affairs of the manufacturer, they would also conduct a nationwide assessment to establish whether other brands are affected.
“The commission urges the manufacturers, distributors, and suppliers of peanut butter to comply with regulations and conduct urgent tests to assess the safety of the products on their shelves and take immediate corrective steps if found to be unsafe.”
Mabuza stressed that the commission was taking this very seriously because the Consumer Protection Act required goods that posed any risk of harm to the consumer be recalled.
“It is the responsibility of the manufacturers, importers and retailers to ensure that goods comply with all applicable laws and standards of the Republic. We, therefore, urge South African consumers who have the recalled products to immediately stop consuming these products and return the product to a point of purchase for a full refund, with or without proof of purchase” she added.
The Star