The Ministry of Health wishes to advise the public that the Lactalis Group in Laval, France has recalled certain lots of the Picot and Milumel brands of infant milk products from their line due to fears of salmonella bacteria contamination.
The population can be reassured, based on an advisory from the International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN), that Trinidad and Tobago has not been identified as one of the countries which imported the affected products. INFOSAN is the World Health Organization (WHO) body that assists member states in managing food safety risks and ensuring rapid sharing of information during food safety emergencies to stop the spread of contaminated food from one country to another.
To date, forty (40) countries have been identified by the French authorities as having imported the affected products. These include: Afghanistan, Algeria, Andorra, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, China, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Georgia, Greece, Guinea, Haiti, Hong Kong SAR (China), Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Spain, Sudan, Switzerland, Taiwan (China), Togo, the Netherlands, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Viet Nam & Yemen. Persons travelling to these territories should take the necessary precautions.
The Ministry of Health wishes to advise that, if you have any of these products, they must not be consumed. Anyone who has purchased these products should contact the Ministry of Health’s Chemistry, Food and Drugs Division at the toll free line: 800-2333 (CFDD) or 623-2834 or 623-5242.
Salmonella poisoning symptoms include severe diarrhoea, stomach cramps and vomiting. Anyone who may have consumed the affected product should seek immediate medical attention.