Out-of-date baby milk gets all-clear

OUT-OF-DATE baby milk sold to the mothers of two newborn girls who became seriously ill has been given the all clear.

Formal testing of the milk, which was nine months out of date and on sale at Hathershaw Mini Market in Ashton Road, showed it was of satisfactory quality.

Mums Emma Cummings, of Park Lane, and Kimberley Proctor, of Rosary Close, both of Fitton Hill, contacted Oldham Trading Standards after their newborn daughters became seriously ill last month.

Ms Cummings’s five-week-old daughter, Amy, was found to have food poisoning after being taken to the Royal Oldham Hospital.

Samples were taken from remaining, unopened, cartons of the milk at the shop.

A report by the public analyst for Oldham found the product to be satisfactory, with no evidence of mould growth or rancidity.

The milk, which had a best-before date of August 20, 2008, remained fit for consumption.

Trading Standards Officers visited the Hathershaw Mini Market and provided advice on stock rotation policies.

Tony Allen, head of Trading Standards said: “Products must not be sold past their ‘use-by’ date and should not be sold past their ‘best-before’ date.

“While we cannot positively rule out the possibility that these babies suffered food poisoning as a result of consuming milk from other cartons in the batch, what we have been able to test has been returned as satisfactory.”

Parents are urged to check the best-before and use-by dates on food and not give food past their dates to their children —particularly the very young.

Any parents who find out-of-date food on sale are asked to tell the retailer immediately and notify Trading Standards on 08454 040506.

Mr Allen said: “We follow up each and every report we receive about out-of-date food with the retailers, sampling products where appropriate and getting them tested.”