Health ministry warns against consuming products from Pan Caribbean Sugar Company amid contamination issue

The Ministry of Health and Wellness says an immediate stop order has been placed on the production, distribution and sale of all Pan Caribbean Sugar Company products after metal fragments were found in the company's packaged sugar.

It is also advising members of the public not to consume packaged sugar produced by the company.

Issues with that brand of sugar came to light following a viral social media video of a man who purchased sugar bearing the Pan Caribbean Sugar Company's logo and claimed the product contained metal particles.

The health ministry, in a media release on Thursday, confirmed that a preliminary laboratory test has identified metal fragments in samples of this brand of sugar purchased at retail outlets, which may pose a significant health risk, if ingested.

It urged members of the public to safely discard the sugar and await further updates from the ministry.

The ministry said further investigations are under way, and it will provide official updates once laboratory results confirm that any food safety risks have been resolved and the product is safe for consumption.

Pan Caribbean Sugar Company on Wednesday said batches have been flagged and pulled from the market.

The company said it was also taking remedial steps to normalise distribution of its product line.

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