Voluntary recall of Slim-Fast drink on suspicions of contamination

The recall has been prompted by the possibility of contamination with Bacillus cereus, a micro-organism that can cause diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.

The contamination came to light after some people reported sickness about six to 15 hours after consuming the drinks. Food poisoning with the bacteria is fleeting and quite mild. All the affected persons recouped within a day and exhibited no adverse health consequences.

Unilever spokeswoman Anita Larsen stated that the suspected contamination took root at a plant in Covington, Tenn. However, following the detection of the tainted product the company cut short the production and distribution.

Larsen stated, “Out of an abundance of caution, the company is recalling all RTD products in cans that are currently in distribution centers, on-shelf or in back rooms in retail outlets or in consumers’ homes.

“The company is in the process of identifying and correcting the production issue, and will resume production and shipment of the product when the issue has been addressed and corrected.

The products hit by the recall
The products that have been hit with this recall include cans of Slim-Fast that are packaged in paperboard cartons and shipped in four, six or 12 steel 11-ounce cans.

The company is withdrawing every can of Slim-Fast drinks which comprise around 50 varieties irrespective of flavour, Best-by date, lot code, or UPC number.

As a precautionary measure the company is urging consumers to discard every can and immediately get in touch with the company for refund.

In addition, individual cans are also sold at some outlets, including retail stores. Health officials are informing distributers and retailers to get rid of the tainted products from the store shelves.

However, other Slim-Fast products such as the powdered shakes, meal bars, or snack bars have not been affected by the recall.

Slim-Fast no stranger to recalls
This is not the first time the Slim-Fast brand is facing a recall. In this year itself, Unilever had dealt with a withdrawal of nearly 430,000 cases of meal replacement and snack bars because they contained nuts that were suspected to be tainted with Salmonella.

Slim-Fast was also embroiled in a recall of around two million cans of the drinks because of the risk of gastrointestinal sickness nearly ten years back.

Additionally, 192,000 cans were recalled a year earlier when they were supposedly infected with a caustic cleaning solution.