Further testing after additional complaints also failed to identify a cause.
A full customer recall of the gummies was ordered, though the company said it believed the issue “may be down to a change in one ingredient supplier” and had since returned to its original supplier.
“We apologise to our customers affected by this issue and want to reassure all our customers we take our products’ safety and quality extremely seriously,” it said.
While the brand recalled its affected batches in late April, Medsafe said it “has been working with the company on additional actions to protect consumers” since being notified last month.
“The most important thing for the public right now is to stop taking any gummies from affected batches,” Medsafe’s general manager, Chris James, told the Herald.
The recall relates to three types of bottles containing between 90 and 160 servings, holding the batch numbers GV011015, GV011017V and GV011018V.
“Consumers should stop using affected batches immediately and return them to the place of purchase for a full refund or replacement,” the notice said.
Anna Lowes told the Herald she was shocked to learn that gummies she bought in February, which had caused her daughter to become covered in rashes, had the same batch number she had queried the company about months ago.
Lowes said her daughter routinely ate the same breakfast with two gummies every morning.
“Every now and then, she was getting a reaction, and I just couldn’t pinpoint what it was until I realised I’d bought a new jar of their multivitamins.”
Lowes said she asked The Good Vitamin Co whether any changes had been made to the product’s ingredients, but her email went unanswered.
She later came across the recall notice in a Facebook mums’ group, where members were describing similar reactions to those her daughter experienced.
One mother says she tried to raise concerns about The Good Vitamin Co’s gummies months before the recall notice after her child started breaking out in rashes.
Lowes described the brand’s failure to respond to her earlier query as “negligent”.
“In the back of your mind, you don’t really think a vitamin that you’re giving your child to make them better is what’s making them worse.”
The Good Vitamin Co today acknowledged concerns about the time taken between the first complaints and the recall.
“We acknowledge and regret that some time has passed since the first complaints were received,” it said.
“However, throughout that period we undertook numerous steps to rectify the issue.”
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