Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 November 2020
790. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the date his Department was first informed to check hand sanitisers to determine if they were safe to use; the person or body that made that recommendation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34569/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraOLAF, the European Anti-Fraud Office, notified the Revenue Commissioners regarding the import of a hand sanitiser product from Turkey to Ireland from the same supplier of a product that had been tested in Denmark and found to contain excessive levels of methanol. The Revenue Commissioners notified the Department of this information on 25th September 2020 and arrangements were made to test the consignment and a number of other consignments that had already been imported into Ireland from the same supplier.
All consignments that were tested were detained pending the results of the laboratory analysis.
Following investigations, laboratory results received on 16th October showed that the product did not meet the standards for approval, particularly with regard to the presence of methanol. The company was immediately instructed to retain all product in its possession and recall all remaining product under the ViraPro name from the market or in use by the public.
