By Mary Kachepa
Zambia is NOT among the countries importing Nestlé NAN infant formula that has been recalled in other markets due to the presence of a toxin.
Ministry of Health Principal Public Relations Officer, GEORGIA CHIMOMBO, confirmed this in a statement issued today.
Ms. CHIMOMBO said the Ministry, through the Department of Public Health, conducted checks using official international food safety notification channels, including South Africa as the exporting country, to establish whether Zambia had received the affected product.
She explained that the product concerned is NAN Special Pro infant formula for children aged 0 to 12 months, which has been linked to possible contamination with cereulide, a toxin produced by the bacterium ‘Bacillus cereus’.
Ms. CHIMOMBO said Zambia is NOT listed among the affected importing countries and advised the public to rely solely on official Government communication for accurate information, as surveillance activities continue.
She, however, called on members of the public to remain alert and report to authorities if they encounter NAN Special Pro 0–12 months infant formula produced for the South African market by Germany.
Ms. CHIMOMBO said any suspected product should be reported immediately to the nearest District Health Office or the Public Health Department under local councils.
She further said the Ministry has instructed food safety inspectors nationwide to strengthen monitoring, remove any non-compliant products from the market, and take legal action where necessary.
Ms. CHIMOMBO said the directive applies to all food products, including those labelled in languages other than English.
She noted that the Ministry of Health derives its mandate from the Food Safety Act Number 7 of 2019, which provides for the protection of the public against health risks and fraud in the manufacture, sale and use of food.
