Coconut drinks recalled after undeclared dairy causes anaphylaxis

Following incidents of consumers suffering severe allergic reactions to undeclared dairy products in coconut milk drinks, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has urged consumers with a dairy allergy to be aware of recent recalls.

Recalls have been issued for V-Fresh Coconut Milk Drink and Orthodox Coconut Milk Juice, and food enforcement agencies in the states and territories and the Commonwealth Department of Agriculture (the enforcement agency for imported food) are investigating similar products.

FSANZ says there have been two reported cases of anaphylactic reactions associated with the consumption of coconut milk drinks where dairy products were present but were not declared on the product label, as required under the Food Standards Code.

As a precautionary measure, the Department of Agriculture is inspecting all imports of the recalled products to ensure the labels now declare the presence of allergens, and is working to identify and inspect other imported coconut milk drinks. If milk products are not declared on the label, samples will be sent for testing to determine whether an undeclared allergen is present and further recalls may be possible.

The Department of Agriculture is working with the NSW Food Authority and other regulators to identify and contact businesses that import coconut milk drinks to make them aware of the recalls and request they check and confirm their allergen labelling is correct.

This information is reproduced with permission of Food Standards Australia New Zealand.