Sydney café could face heavy fine for selling recalled Bonsoy
Retail outlets have been warned to heed product recall advice after food safety authorities responded to a complaint that alleged an inner Sydney café was still using Bonsoy soy milk – a product that was subject to a nationwide recall in December.
NSW Minister for Primary Industries Steve Whan advised today that any company selling goods that have been recalled would face a heavy penalty.
“Ignorance is no excuse, the NSW Food Authority issued advice prior to Christmas of the recall of Bonsoy soy milk due to these health concerns,” Minister Whan said. “Our priority is ensuring this product is off the shelves and out of coffee shops and cafes so consumers can dine with confidence.
“The NSW Government does not tolerate businesses that breach food safety and put consumers at risk. Those who don’t do the right thing face hefty fines of up to $110,000 for individuals and $500,000 for corporations.”
NSW Food Authority inspectors conducted an investigation into an inner Sydney café after a tip off that it was selling the recalled Bonsoy product.
Samples of the recalled product were taken from the premises and investigations into the matter are continuing.
“This is a serious food safety issue the NSW Food Authority will closely monitor,” Minister Whan reported. “I encourage people to report any sighting of Bonsoy soy milk to the NSW Food Authority.”
Bonsoy soy milk was recalled from sale in December last year by its Victorian based importer after it was found to contain unusually high levels of iodine.
As I recall, Spiral Foods volunteered to recall Bonsoy following health concerns being raised.
It’ll be interesting to see what comes of this affair. If the iodine levels in the soy drink are indeed such a high general public health risk then somebody had better warn much of East Asia, because the same ingredient (seaweed) is consumed daily by scores of millions of people.