Bako Select has taken action to reassure customers following a number of cake mix withdrawals in the wake of the fipronil contamination scandal.
Eight 12.5kg products from a range of suppliers including Bako were withdrawn from sale as a precautionary measure last week following earlier product withdrawals including sandwiches and liquid egg.
The contamination source is believed to have been the use of fipronil – a broad-spectrum insecticide not legal for use near food-producing animals – on farms in the Netherlands to combat parasites on chickens.
Fipronil is not authorised for use in food producing animals, although the Food Standards Agency has said it is very unlikely there is any risk to public health from consuming affected products, and that withdrawals have been precautionary.
Bako has said it takes the quality of the products its stocks “extremely seriously” and has been following the developments of this issue, as well working with its suppliers and the FSA.
The business stated that, to date, it has no reason to believe any stock handled by Bako has come from any of farms considered to have high levels of contamination. It added however, that as the list of affected farms is evolving, it continues to contact suppliers for updated statements regarding egg supply.
“Bako is committed to its customers and we are taking steps to reassure them along with providing all of the relevant information they require as quickly as possible,” said Bako head of own brand Nicola Goodwill.
She added that its Bako Select cake mix supplier had received some batches of dried egg from an implicated Dutch farm via their approved supplier.
“To ensure identification of all affected batches, our supplier immediately requested testing on all retained samples of dried egg,” said Goodwill.
“After these results were received they undertook an extensive traceability exercise and identified a small number of affected lots. Our swift response to this issue has ensured that most of the affected lots were destroyed before despatch, with the exception of four lots.” (See table below)
Bako added that its in-house technical team was contacting all customers who had received affected lots, advising that the levels detected in these mixes were significantly under the maximum residual level set by the EU of 0.005mg/kg for eggs.
“Customers are being reassured that withdrawal of these products is precautionary and that egg used in Bako Select cake mixes is now tested for fipronil and positively released before being used in production,” it added.
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