Limerick-based baby food manufacturer SMA Nutrition has issued a product recall in Ireland for two of its baby formulas which have been linked to an outbreak of infant botulism in Britain.
The recall is in relation to batches of SMA Gold and SMA White infant formula powder with expiry dates of October 28, 2001 and November 28, 2001.
The move comes after an incident in Britain where a batch of SMA Gold was linked to a case of Infant Botulism. The baby made a full recovery following the scare.
Infant botulism is a rare but serious food-borne disease which occurs mainly in babies under six months of age. It is caused by contamination of certain foods by the botulism bacterium commonly found in soil.
"This is precautionary measure given the movement of the SMA products on the market it is unlikely that very little if any of the product is still on the market now," said Ms Jane O’Reilly of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI).
The FSAI have advised parents who has a can of either SMA Gold or SMA White to check the base of the can for the best before date and, if it shows 28 of October or 28 of November 2001, they should not use the formula but should contact SMA Nutrition.
Parents who want more information are asked to contact the SMA Careline freephone in Ireland on 1 800 409 446. UK and Northern Ireland residents can contact 0800 212 002. The FSAI freephone is 1800 33 66 77.