On Monday, the health ministry of Zimbabwe issued a consumer warning over the potential asbestos contamination of a batch of baby powder. The product brand is Tiger Brands, and the product is Purity Essentials Baby Powder.
Test samples from a batch of pharmaceutical-grade talc powder showed traces of asbestos. The product that returned a positive result for asbestos is used as a raw material during the production process for finished powder products.
In a statement, Health Secretary Jasper Chimedza said that “Given that a significant number of products in our supermarkets are sourced from South Africa, there is a possibility that some batches of the baby powder in question are already in Zimbabwe.”
Tiger Brands is the largest food producer in South Africa and explained that the process of recalling the product was a “precautionary measure.”
The recall has come less than a month after Johnson & Johnson, one of the world’s most recognisable talc brands, announced to shareholders that it would end the sale of its talc-based products worldwide in 2023.
Tiger Brands is likely to continue selling talc-based baby powder following the completion of the recall.
Tiger Brands Chief Operating Officer Noel Doyle said, “I can assure you that the testing that we did was unrelated to anything linked to J&J issues.”
“While we found trace levels of asbestos in the raw material, we’ve acted to recall everything that’s on the market, despite the fact that previous testing did not show any trace levels.”
Tiger Brands said, “the batch of raw material with the detected trace levels of asbestos does not meet the company’s strict quality and safety standards.”