FRANCE – French-based food company Danone has issued a recall for its milk products in Türkiye following inspections by the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture, which reportedly revealed the presence of water mixed into the products.
According to findings from the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry, a batch of “Birsah” branded milk produced by Danone was found to have been adulterated with water.
This discovery came during the ministry’s ongoing inspection of counterfeit or adulterated food products.
Authorities determined that water had been mixed into one batch of milk during inspections at the Birsah milk production facility.
As a result, Danone recalled 1-liter UHT milk cartons with 3.1% fat content, marked with the batch number 176.L.
Following public concern, Danone issued a statement attributing the issue to a technical error during production.
The company clarified that the adulteration was unintentional and that the recall decision was made out of an abundance of caution.
Danone explained that drinkable water is used during the initial stages of UHT milk production to regulate temperature.
A mistake occurred during this phase, leading to water being unintentionally mixed with approximately 100 liters of the product from the initial batch.
The company assured consumers that the affected milk posed no health risks, emphasizing that the incident was isolated and had been swiftly addressed.
This recall highlights the growing global concerns about food safety.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), access to sufficient amounts of safe and nutritious food is critical for sustaining life and promoting good health.
Unsafe food containing harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites, or chemical substances is responsible for more than 200 diseases, ranging from diarrhea to cancers.
WHO emphasizes that infants, young children, the elderly, and the sick are particularly vulnerable to the harmful effects of unsafe food.
WHO advocates for stronger collaboration between governments, food producers, and consumers to ensure food safety and build more robust food systems.
The organization supports member states by facilitating the implementation of its Global Strategy for Food Safety (2022–2030).
This initiative aims to strengthen national food control systems and reduce the burden of foodborne diseases. WHO also provides scientific assessments of microbiological and chemical hazards that inform international food standards and guidelines through the Codex Alimentarius.
Additionally, the FAO/WHO food control system assessment tool is used to evaluate the performance of national food control systems and identify priority areas for improvement.
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