The Ministry of Health has published notices of recall for 12 brands of semi-skimmed milk for chemical risk. In detail, the reason for the recall is the presumed presence of inhibiting substances.
The notices, all dated 9 September, concern milk sold in 1 liter and 500 ml bottles or cartons, all produced in the same factory. The notice states that the product must not be consumed or sold.
This week other dairy products have already been affected by a precautionary recall from supermarkets for chemical risk: Kalos and Esselunga brand Greek yogurt, but due to the presence of ethylene oxide in an ingredient.
Here is which brands and batches of milk were recalled and why. What are the risks in case of consumption?
Milk recalled for chemical risk: brands and batches
- Partially skimmed Lessinia – semi-skimmed pasteurized fresh milk in 1 liter PET bottle and 500 ml carton
- Latteria Cividale partially skimmed – fresh pasteurized semi-skimmed milk in 1000 ml PET bottle
- IO FVG partially skimmed
Partially skimmed Blanc in 1000 ml PET bottle
- Fresco Alta Levità partially skimmed in 1 liter bottle
- Partially skimmed Blanc in 1 liter PET bottle and 500 ml carton
- Cadoro TI is suitable for partially skimmed pasteurized fresh milk in 1000 ml carton
- Milk and drink partially skimmed – fresh pasteurized milk in 1000 ml carton
- Semi-skimmed live milk – fresh pasteurized milk in cartons of 500 and 1000 ml
- Partially skimmed coderno in 1000 ml bottle
- Semi-skimmed Karst milk – fresh pasteurized milk in 1 liter PET bottle
- Cadoro partially skimmed fresh pasteurized milk in 1000 ml pet bottle
- Semi-skimmed white Friuli – fresh pasteurized milk in 1 liter carton
All the milks mentioned were produced by Latte Vivo Srl Tavagnacco (UD) and are part of the production batch 12-09-21 and have an expiration date or minimum conservation term on 12-09-21.
Inhibitory substances in milk: what they are
Inhibiting substances, which are considered a chemical risk and represent a reason why a product is recalled from supermarket shelves, are the residues of antibiotics and drugs which are given to dairy cows to fight bacterial infections.
In the definition given by the Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna, inhibiting substances are a “Health parameter par excellence and directly linked to public health, compared to other regulatory parameters, it has always been the screening control system for the presence of residues of antibacterial drugs in milk (antibiotics and sulfonamides); also relevant for the interferences that can determine during the cheesemaking phase on the viability of the microorganisms making up the lactic phylo-dairy flora “.
The presence of these substances in the foods that end up on our tables can be a health risk. This is why, as a precaution, the calls from the Ministry of Health report the recommendation not to sell or consume the product with the reported batch number and, in case of purchase, to bring it back to the point of sale.
The presence of inhibitory substances in milk is a serious problem because it can create drug resistance and limits the effectiveness of antibiotics in case of real need and causes a weakening of the organism. The repeated ingestion of these substances in large quantities can be harmful to health, especially that of children.