Inside Out, the plant milk brand sold at Woolworths stores across Australia has been forced to recall several products after they were found to be missing crucial storage instructions.
Late on Friday night, Food Standards Australia New Zealand, a subset of the Australian Government’s health portfolio, reported that three separate products from Inside Out’s plant milk range failed to mention that refrigeration was necessary after opening on their respective labels.
A NSW man was even admitted to hospital on Thursday after consuming the brand’s “unsweetened almond milk”. That particular almond milk was found to contain a toxin that can cause botulism, a disease that attacks the body’s nerves per Mayo Clinic.
Inside Out Nutritious Goods Pty Ltd is recalling various JS Health x Inside Out milk products.
See our website for information: https://t.co/KANJ32sLs7 pic.twitter.com/YZXs2cKSYZ
— FoodStandardsAusNZ (@FSANZnews) February 17, 2023
“The recall is due to missing storage instructions. Products are not labelled with directions to ‘keep refrigerated’.” The organisation wrote in a Post to its official Instagram account.
“Failure to refrigerate this product may lead to microbial growth and biotoxin contamination which may cause illness/injury if consumed.”
The products include:
– JS Health x Inside Out Unsweetened Almond Milk Collagen + Calcium + Prebiotics, 1L
– JS Health x Inside Out Unsweetened Oat Milk Collagen + Calcium + Prebiotics, 1L
– JS Health x Inside Out Barista Oat Milk Collagen + Calcium + Prebiotics, 1L
The recall is in effect for products whose use-by dates are up to and including May 18 2023.
Director of NSW Health’s One Health branch Keira Glasgow said botulism can cause death in the most severe cases.
“Early symptoms of foodborne botulism include weakness, fatigue and vertigo,” she said per 9News.
“These symptoms can progress to paralysis of the arm muscles and continue down the body to the trunk and legs, and paralysis of breathing muscles can be fatal.
“We are urging anyone who has consumed this product and experiences these serious symptoms to seek immediate medical attention.”
It has since been confirmed that the man admitted to the Royal North Shore Hospital did contract botulism.
In response to the developing situation, the company has issued a statement.
“This is a safety-first product recall and Inside Out is proactively co-operating with Food Standards Australia New Zealand, NSW Health, the NSW Food Authority and Woolworths,” it said per the Herald.
“Inside Out is also engaging independent experts to investigate the matter. We apologise for any distress or concern this has caused our loyal customers.”
More information about the recall can be accessed via the Food Standards’ website here.
