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TFDA clarifies infant milk ban
2008-05-15 09:31:56
By Patrick Kisembo
A ban recently imposed on imported infant formula, Lactogen I, is only meant for a batch bearing code number 73100179L1 that was manufactured in South Africa, the Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority (TFDA), clarified yesterday.
TFDA director general Margareth Ndomondo-Sigonda made the clarification in Dar es Salaam in response to reports that people were now shunning all infant formulas on suspicion that they were unfit for children's consumption.
Ndomondo-Sigonda said: ``I would like to stress that the type of milk banned has been removed from the market. It`s Lactogen1 Infant formula batch code 73100179L1 manufactured and packed in 400 gramme tins on November 6, last year,`` she noted.
She assured that all other types of formulas, including the Lactogen brand itself, could be used without any fear for any adverse effects on children.
On the banned batch of milk, she explained: ``The company claimed that the product was distributed only in South Africa, Botswana, and Zambia. But we have found about 81 tins of Lactogen 1 batch code 73100179L1 in Tanzania brought into the country through informal routes.``
She said her authority had decided to make the clarification to respond to calls from the general public as an earlier TFDA announcement to ban the product had confused many people.
``Some of the people interpreted differently, with others assuming that the ban meant to alert the public that all infant formulas were unfit for children`s consumption,`` remarked Raymond Wigenge, TFDA acting director of food security.
He explained that the authority had discovered that something was wrong somewhere when during inspection tours of retail and wholesale shops, operators attempted to hide even formulas not listed as unfit for children.
Wigenge reminded importers, sellers and distributors of milk products for infants to stop importing and selling infant milk products that have not been registered with TFDA and those that do not adhere to milk labelling rules and regulations.
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