Fabuloso products on local market are safe to use – NCRA

The National Compliance and Regulatory Authority (NCRA) is assuring Jamaicans that multipurpose cleaners available locally under the Fabuloso brand are safe to use.

Inspector with Oversight of the Import and Domestic Commodities Inspectorate, Lenworth Clarke, told JIS News that claims of contaminated products being circulated on social media sites are false.

“The NCRA is aware of a video recording and images on social media platforms about possible harm that may be caused by a multipurpose cleaner with the brand Fabuloso. What we can say is that last year, we gathered information from a foreign article, and also from the Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC) indicating that there was a recall and disclaimer. The article clearly stated that [products with] lot code MX are not included in the recall,” he noted.

In addition, Clarke said that information on the website www.fabulosoa.com/recall states that the recall applies to the United States and Canada only. Fabuloso sold in other markets, including those with 'Made in Mexico' on the back of the label, are not included in the recall.

“Last year, we inspected approximately 1,870 multipurpose cleaners with the brand Fabuloso. This came from about 60 different codes with roughly 11 different scents. All of these multipurpose cleaners that were inspected have the country of origin as Mexico (MX), except for one that was from Guatemala (GT). So, we, therefore, conclude that none of the codes being recalled were located in Jamaica,” he explained.

Clarke said the NCRA continues to monitor the commodity within Jamaica and at ports of entry.

“We continue to work with our stakeholders, in particular, the CAC, to gather any additional information, and we also continue to keep a lookout on foreign media for any new or additional information on this commodity,” he said.

There was a recall of Fabuloso in the United States and Canada in early 2023 due to risk of bacterial contamination.

Some 4.9 million units, as well as about 56,000 units in Canada were impacted by the recall.

The affected goods were produced from December 14, 2022 to January 23, 2023.

Colgate-Palmolive Company the parent company for Fabuloso, said the manufacturing issue has since been corrected.

- JIS News

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