Probiotics Sold at Walmart and Amazon Recalled for "Possible Health Risk," FDA Warns
Consumers are being urged not to use any of the affected products.
Many of us take multiple supplements every day to keep ourselves feeling our best. But some supplements can do more harm than good—especially since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn't have the authority to approve their safety or efficacy the way they do with most medication. Sometimes, in fact, there are issues well after the fact. In April, the FDA alerted consumers to a nationwide vitamin recall due to undeclared allergens. Then in June, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warned that iron supplements were being pulled from shelves because they didn't meet certain safety requirements. Now, the FDA is sounding the alarm on a new supplement that could carry a "possible health risk." Read on to find out about a recall on probiotics sold at Walmart and Amazon.
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The FDA is alerting consumers to a new supplement recall.
In an Aug. 1 press release, the FDA warned consumers about a new recall involving liquid probiotics. According to the alert, Ozona Organics, LLC is now voluntarily recalling several of its products.
The Texas-based company is pulling three of its liquid probiotics for adults and toddlers: Ozona Probiotics for Digestive Health; GoHealthy Probiotics for Infants, Toddlers and Kids; and GoHealthy Probiotics for Infants, Kids, Men and Women.
The announcement indicates that animal probiotics have also been included in the mass recall.
"Ozona Organics Dog, Cat, Equine, and Swine Probiotics (intended for animal use) are being recalled in their entirety," the company stated. "No other Ozona Organics or Go Healthy products or batches are affected by this recall."
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Some of the affected probiotics were sold by Walmart and Amazon.
The following lot numbers have been affected by the new recall of Ozona and GoHealthy products: 011122, 011228, 020810, 021115, 022023, 030115, 030301. "Lot numbers can be found on the back panel of product labels," Ozona stated in its announcement.
The recalled Ozona Probiotics for Digestive Health products come in 4-ounce, blue glass bottles and 16-ounce, blue plastic bottles. They were sold through the company's website and on Amazon.
The recalled GoHealthy Probiotics come in 2-ounce, blue glass bottles for the infants, toddlers, and kids version, and in 4-ounce, blue glass bottles for the infants, kids, men, and women version. They were also sold through the company's website and on Amazon, but were available at Walmart stores as well.
The impacted Ozona animal probities were only distributed through the company's website, however.
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The products are being recalled for health concerns.
Ozona has decided to issue a recall on some of its probiotics because of a "possible health risk," according to the alert. The company said that their products could be contaminated with microbial growth.
"Ozona Organics is voluntarily recalling these products because of high water activity in the formula that provides a potential for microbial growth, which may be harmful," the company explained in its announcement.
Probiotic products typically contain helpful microorganisms and bacteria that are similar to those found naturally in our bodies, according to the Nation Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). But there are always potential risks, like those found with the recalled Ozona products.
"Possible harmful effects of probiotics include infections, production of harmful substances by the probiotic microorganisms, and transfer of antibiotic resistance genes from probiotic microorganisms to other microorganisms in the digestive tract," the NCCIH explains on its website. "Some probiotic products have also been reported to contain microorganisms other than those listed on the label. In some instances, these contaminants may pose serious health risks."
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Consumers are being urged not to use these probiotics.
According to Ozona's announcement, there have been no illnesses reported to date in connection with its recalled probiotics. Still, the company is asking that you don't use any of them.
"Consumers who have purchased the affected products are urged not to consume the products and instead dispose of them," Ozona said.
The company added, "The safety, quality, and integrity of our products remain our number one priority. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this action represents to both our consumers and distributors."
