Food

Consumers warned not to consume Latin seed products

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) advised that a national recall of the slimming product, The Latin Seed, was initiated in Australia on 14 March 2011 due to health and safety concerns.

The Latin Seed product had been found to contain the toxic Thevetia neriifolia or Thevetia peruviana (otherwise known as yellow oleander, lucky nut or the ‘be still tree’) not Candle Nut (Aleurites moluccana) as declared on the label. Thevetia neriifolia or Thevetia peruviana are prohibited for use in food products in Australia as they contain a toxic chemical which can cause a variety of symptoms ranging from diarrhoea to heart damage.

Anyone currently using this product should cease using it immediately, return it to place of purchase or dispose of it safely out of the reach of children.

Anyone who may have consumed this product and feels unwell is urged to seek immediate medical advice.

Medical practitioners are advised that yellow oleander contains cardiac (digoxin-like) glycosides which can be highly toxic to the heart. There is an antidote, digoxin antibodies, that doctors can use to treat poisoning under specialist toxicology care.

Further information

Further information about the product recall and advice to consumers is available on the Food Standards Australia New Zealand website: http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/ or e-mail the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing at OzFoodNet@health.gov.au