Baby food producer SMA Nutrition has recalled 150,000 cans of its soya infant formula SMA Wysoy from the Republic of Ireland and Britain, following reports that a piece of metal (stainless steel) has been found in four cans.
The company issued a statement yesterday saying there are no safety implications, and that the recall is a "precautionary measure".
Soya formula is mainly consumed by babies who are unable to tolerate cows' milk. It's claimed that 1 in 20 babies have this intolerance.
The affected SMA Wysoy cans carry a best before date of 28/08/2006 stamped on the base of the can. Any parent discovering such a can should contact the SMA Careline on Freephone 1800 409 446.
A spokesman for SMA Nutrition, based in Berkshire, England, said the company was initially alerted by a member of the public and this led to the recall process.
"What happened is that several pieces of one of the sieves entered the powder, and although there is a magnet for particles, it didn't detect the stainless steel because it is weakly magnetic."
He added: "It's the first time this type of problem has arisen and we've now put in place steps to prevent a recurrence."
The company says the metal pieces would be readily seen when making up the formula. However, in the unlikely event of ingestion, medical advice is that the pieces would be harmless and would pass straight through the gastro-intestinal tract.
The recall decision was taken after consultation with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI), which said: "The FSAI is satisfied with the action the company has taken".