Since SFDA announced on its official portal that US FDA warned about recall of particular shipments of Similac Powder Infant Formulas , under Similac Trade Mark, by Abbot Company, because the product is suspected to contain small beetles or their larvae; coordination was made with the respective SFDA departments to prohibit the entry of the contaminated shipment to the Kingdom. SFDA also addressed the responsible government entities to ensure that the contaminated products do not exist in the Kingdom’s markets. SFDA addressed Ministry of Municipal & Rural Affairs, Ministry of Health as well as the company responsible for the product to ensure the recall of the contaminated product if it exist in the Kingdom’s markets.
SFDA also continued tracking this matter and received official information from US FDA at that time, advising that some shipments of the contaminated product may be exported to the Kingdom. Accordingly, SFDA addressed the company responsible for the product to provide evidence that none of this product is imported to the Kingdom or recall the contaminated product if it is exported to the Kingdom’s markets and keep SFDA posted on this regard. By referring to Abbot Company records in USA it is found that a small quantity of only 4 cartons (24 cans/packs) of the product that is supposed to be recalled, was delivered to one of the consumers on private basis and Abbot of USA confirmed to SFDA in writing that no other commercial shipments were exported to the Kingdom.
Following the news published on the media, saying that one of the citizens found a small insect inside a can of powder milk that he bought from a pharmacy in Hafar Al Batin, SFDA immediately communicated with that citizen in order to obtain more information about the incident.
Accordingly, SFDA dispatched its field inspectors to conduct comprehensive surveillance of Hafar Al Batin pharmacies and supermarkets to verify this matter. In this respect, communication and coordination was also made with the Directorate of Health Affairs in Hafar Al Batin. Seventy samples were collected from thirty pharmacies and four shopping centers, in addition to samples from other areas. All samples were tested in SFDA laboratories in Riyadh but no insects or parts thereof were found in any of the cans/packs. Also, SFDA received no information, from the government entities responsible for control of pharmacies and markets, about the presence of the contaminated product.