More than two years after pulling the controversial talc-based baby powder off US and Canadian shelves, Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is still supplying South African retailers with the product and has given no actual date of when the product shall be formally pulled from native shelves.
J&J introduced its plans to tug the product off North American shelves in 2020 after it says demand for the product was pushed down by what the corporate calls “misleading talc litigation advertising that caused global confusion and unfounded concern about the safety of talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder.”
The American multinational pharmaceutical and shopper packaged items big in August 2022 made an extra announcement that it could be discontinuing its talc-based baby powder product globally in 2023.
Read: Johnson & Johnson drops baby powder globally as lawsuits mount
It famous on the time that the group is ready to transition to an all-corn-starch-based system, however no particular closing date for manufacturing of the talc product cited.
Moneyweb requested J&J’s SA workplace when customers can count on the merchandise to vanish off native shelves, and the group responded that it was planning to decelerate the manufacturing of the product within the first quarter of subsequent yr.
Johnson’s Baby Powder is the most important baby powder model within the nation.
J&J admitted that it was still supplying the baby powder to native retailers.
Worth noting is that after J&J discontinues the talc-based baby powder vary, South Africans gained’t get the good thing about the speedy change to J&J’s new corn-starch-based vary.
Capacity constraints
“Due to capacity constraints at this time, our corn-starch-based powder offering is not expected to be available in South Africa in 2023,” it stated.
“Consumers can continue to purchase talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder until product supply runs out,” it added.
Read:
J&J to pay $2.1bn talc award as high courtroom nixes attraction
J&J renews combat to halt baby powder fits utilizing chapter
Previous information reviews on J&J present that the corporate has been preventing off considerations round its talc-based merchandise both within the courts or the general public area way back to 2016.
Despite the corporate referring to security considerations round its talc-based merchandise as “unfounded” in 2016, the corporate was ordered to pay $72 million in damages to a girl’s household within the US after she died of ovarian most cancers. In that case a Missouri state jury linked the girl contracting most cancers to using J&J’s talc-based baby energy.
Since then, the corporate has needed to defend its merchandise in 1000’s of lawsuits – paying out billions of {dollars} in damages – as complainants proceed to come back ahead with claims that J&J talc containing merchandise have been linked to a number of most cancers instances.
Tiger Brands
Closer to house, JSE-listed producer of fast-moving shopper items (FMCG) Tiger Brands this yr additionally needed to cope with its personal baby powder drama when it was pressured to recall a few of its talc-based merchandise below the Purity and Elizabeth Anne manufacturers.
This got here after traces of asbestos – a recognized Carcinogen – have been detected in take a look at samples of its merchandise.
The Purity Essentials Baby Powder and Purity & Elizabeth Anne’s Essentials Baby Powder within the 100g, 200g and 400g bottle sizes in addition to the 400g Purity and Elizabeth Anne’s Fresh Baby Powder have been all included in Tiger Brands’s product recall in September.
Read:
Tiger Brands shares fall after recall of baby-powder merchandise
Zimbabwe bans import of Tiger Brands’s baby-powder merchandise
In a buying and selling assertion it launched later that month, Tiger Brands stated the precautionary recall was anticipated to value the corporate as much as R25 million in product write-offs and logistics prices associated to the recall.
Moneyweb requested Tiger Brands’s CEO Noel Doyle on the launch of the corporate’s full-year financials in early December whether or not the group plans to carry again the talc-based product. His response was that there isn’t a actual certainty when the product will make its return to retail shelves.
“We have suspended the production of that [its talc baby powder range], and we haven’t made any decisions about bringing that product back to the market as yet,” stated Doyle.
He added that the group didn’t have any particular timelines on when the product would return, nonetheless, for Tiger Brands, the discontinuation of the 2 affected merchandise is just not but on the desk as an possibility.
Unlike J&J, Tiger Brands already has a corn-starch baby powder in shops providing customers another within the absence of the talc product.
Other options
Despite the destructive consideration that has befallen the talc-based product lately, JSE-listed healthcare retailer Clicks informed Moneyweb that this has not deterred its prospects from shopping for the merchandise.
Clicks has its personal vary of baby powders – each these containing talc in addition to a corn-starch providing – below the Made4baby branding and below its home model. However, it didn’t immediately reply to questions on whether or not it plans to chop its manufacturing of the talc-based product from its vary given the well being considerations surrounding the ingredient.
Instead, in a press release to Moneyweb Clicks spokesperson Vikash Singh stated: “This product recall [by Tiger Brands] did not affect Clicks Made4Baby Baby Powder. All talc used in this [our] product range has been independently tested and confirmed to be asbestos free.”
“For customers that prefer a talc free option, Clicks Baby Powder Corn Starch in 100g and 200g is readily available. This product is specially formulated for baby’s delicate skin to assist in absorbing excess moisture, helps prevent chafing and leaves skin dry and comfortable,” Singh added.
Clicks additional went on to notice that it isn’t experiencing product shortages at its shops simply but because of the occasions which have troubled each J&J and Tiger Brands.
Moneyweb approached Dis-chem – additionally a significant participant within the retail pharmacy house – for remark. However, the JSE-listed group declined to remark.
Listen to Fifi Peters chatting with Tiger Brands CEO concerning the baby powder recall (or learn the transcript):
