Gain Plus withdrawn from market

Local drug and health products company Abbot Laboratories Philippines has began voluntarily removing four contaminated batches of the Denmark-made Gain Plus milk products in 200-gram pouches from local stores, the Department of Health (DOH) said yesterday.

The recall followed Agriculture Secretary Leonardo Montemayor’s order on Friday banning the import of Gain Plus milk products produced in a plant in Denmark after samples were allegedly found to contain lubricating oil and steel flakes.

The order by the Department of Agriculture (DA) came on the heels of an announcement by the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) on Thursday of the immediate recall of four batches of Gain Plus milk products with lot numbers 85-583-YX, 85-585-YX, 86-617-YX and 86-620-YX.

Meanwhile, Sen. Teresa Aquino-Oreta said yesterday government agencies concerned must coordinate closely with the manufacturer of the contaminated milk products to ensure that all affected pouches are removed from market shelves.

Oreta called on the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Trade and Industry and local distributors of the milk product to identify retail areas where the contaminated pouches were delivered to enable their immediate pullout.

"Granted that there is no immediate danger in consuming these contaminated products, the DOH should not think in these terms but in terms of enforcing strict quality control regulations for the benefit of consumers," Oreta said.

The DA had ordered all quarantine officials to stop or confiscate affected products originating from the Aria Foods Hamba (Arinco) plant in Denmark. Abbott Laboratories Philippines reportedly imports powdered milk from this plant. – Rainier Allan Ronda, Aurea Calica