WOOLWORTHS RECALLS ITS PEANUT BUTTER DAIRY ICE CREAM 2 LITRES IN ZAMBIA
By Patricia Male
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission -CCPC- is warning consumers in Zambia not to consume the recalled Woolworths peanut butter dairy ice cream 2 litres due to high levels of aflatoxins present.
CCPC Senior Public Relations Officer Mubiana Nalwendo says the commission has been informed by the COMESA Competition Commission that Woolworths Proprietary Limited is with immediate effect recalling its peanut butter dairy ice cream 2L in Zambia due to the presence of high levels of aflatoxins found in the ice cream.
Mr. Nalwendo says Woolworths confirmed that 90 units of the product were distributed to Zambia on December 8th 2023 and at the time of the recall, 35 units were still in stock.
He says this came after various peanut butter companies issued recalls, prompting Woolworths to conduct a thorough assessment of their products containing peanut butter, including biscuits, sauces, pretzels, energy bars, and ice cream, to ensure they meet the required quality standards, after which it was discovered that the peanut butter ice cream has levels of aflatoxin that exceed the legal limit.
Mr. Nalwendo says CCPC and the Lusaka City Council then collaborated to conduct a compliance inspection on five Woolworth Proprietary Limited stores in Lusaka.
He says during the inspections, it was discovered that only the Centro mall store had stocked the peanut butter dairy ice cream but indicates that the inspections also revealed that the product in question had been removed from the shelves and was awaiting disposal by the Lusaka Integrated Solid Waste Management Company under Lusaka City Council.
Aflatoxins are a family of toxins produced by fungi that are found on agricultural crops such as maize, peanuts, cotton seed, and tree nuts. Large doses of aflatoxins can lead to acute poisoning and can damage the liver.
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