The Competition and Fair Trading Commission (CFTC) has directed traders in the country not to sell some batches of Appletiser drink.

The directive follows a decision by Cocacola South Africa which has issued a recall notice because the products contain mycotoxin above the permitted tolerance for foodstuffs.

Reads the statement: “In light of the above, the Commission is conducting inspections in the major cities to establish the availability of the subject products on the market and order traders to dispose of such.

“The Commission would also like to inform traders not to sell the subject products to consumers. The Commission further advises consumers to take necessary precaution when purchasing the said products.”

The Commission added that it is conducting inspections in the major cities to establish the availability of the products on the market and order traders to dispose of such.

“The Commission is also encouraging consumers to return any such products to their suppliers, and get a full refund if they purchased the same.

“The Commission also calls upon the general public to report all incidences where the said products under the specified barcodes are being supplied on the market,” reads the statement.

According to the recall notice, the products contain mycotoxin (Patulin) above the permitted tolerance for foodstuffs.

Patulin can occur in fruits such as apples due to fungal contamination. Ingestion of Patulin may be associated with nausea, gastrointestinal disturbances and vomiting.

The subject products can be identified by looking at the Best Before (BB) date which is stamped at the bottom or top of the products.

The specific batches of the recalled Appletiser have the following date codes: 1250m PET (BB07NOV21), 750 non-returnable glass (BB30MAY22), 275ml non-returnable glass (BB10JUN22), 330ml Can (BB18MAY22), 330ml Can (BB19MAY22).