Two Japanese Infant formulae found to have low biotin level
| Issue Date | 16.11.2012 |
|---|---|
| Source of Information | Centre for Food Safety |
| Food Product | Infant Formula |
| Product Name and Description | Product Name: Meiji (0 – 12 months)
|
| Reason For Issuing Alert | Testing results showed that the concerned infant formulae have biotin level below the standard of Codex Alimentarius Commission but complies with the Japanese standard. Overt dietary biotin deficiency is rare and it has not occurred in breastfed infants. But if infants between zero and six months old solely rely on the product for intake of biotin, adverse health effects cannot be ruled out. Biotin-deficient infants may show symptoms like hair loss, skin rash, hypotonia and lethargy. |
| Action Taken by the Centre for Food Safety | The CFS has notified the trade of the test results |
| Advice to the Trade | Stop selling the affected products. |
| Advice to Consumers | Those who have purchased the concerned products should stop feeding their infants with them and switch to other infant formulae or consider breastfeeding. If parents who have fed their infants with the products mentioned above have doubts about their infants' health, they should consult medical professionals. Since there is no agent nor dedicated importer for the product, members of the public can enquire with the retail outlets where they bought the product if there is any recall arrangement. |
| Further Information |
Centre for Food Safety
Food and Environmental Hygiene Department
2012-11-16