Also, the products contain concentrated CBD which is an unauthorized novel food. A novel food is a food or ingredient that was not available in the EU to a significant extent before May 1997.

Safety of concentrated CBD and products containing it have not been assessed and they should not be on the European market, said the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI).

As the processing facility is not registered, basic food safety, hygiene and traceability procedures are not in place.

All dates and batch codes of 15 and 30 milliliter Hugold 4 percent CBD oil, Immuno CBD oil, Femmi CBD oil, Sacred oil and White Feather Sacred oil are affected.

An expanded alert includes all batches and dates of Deus Gold Full Spectrum Hemp Oil 30 millilter, as the CBD oil used in their production came from Hugold’s unregistered site. The FSAI advised people not to consume the implicated batches.

Enforcement figures
The FSAI has also published figures showing that 59 enforcement orders were served on businesses for breaches of food safety legislation in 2021.

This was up from 42 in 2020 but mainly reflects the reopening of many food firms following long periods of temporary closures because of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

Overall, 47 closure orders, two improvement orders and 10 prohibition orders were issued by environmental health officers in the Health Service Executive (HSE), veterinary inspectors in local authorities, and officers of the FSAI on food businesses.

Recurring issues included evidence of pest activity and infestation; poor knowledge of basic food safety and hygiene rules; inadequate facilities for staff hygiene and cleaning within the business; and inadequate temperature control in the storage and preparation of food.

Pamela Byrne, FSAI chief executive, said many reasons for enforcement orders cover the basic requirements for food safety and hygiene and should not be happening in any business.

“There is absolutely no excuse for negligent food practices at any time. Enforcement orders are served on food businesses only when a serious risk to consumer health has been established or where there are a number of ongoing serious breaches of food legislation,” she said.

“All food businesses must recognize that they are legally bound to ensure that the food they produce is safe to eat and that they implement and support a strong food safety culture within the business.”

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