Issued By West Yorkshire Trading Standards Service

LEAD CONTAMINATION OF “MORNING SICKNESS” CURE

Trading Standards Officers today warn the public against eating a product known as “Calabash Chalk”, a traditional African cure for morning sickness in pregnant women.

Tests by the Food Standards Agency have revealed high levels of lead in the product of up to 4½ times safety guidelines.

Following a Food Hazard Warning from the Food Standards Agency, Trading Standards Officers and Environmental Health Officers have been asked to look out for the product during their inspection visits to retail premises and take steps to ensure it is removed from sale. If pregnant and breast feeding women are exposed to high levels of lead this poses a risk to the mental development of the unborn baby or the breast-fed infant.

The product is not a conventional food and is thought to be used mainly by women from the Nigerian and West African Communities.

Martin Wood, Chief Officer of West Yorkshire Trading Standards Service said, “Although this product is only likely to be used by a small number of consumers, it does present a real risk of lead poisoning, particularly to pregnant mothers and unborn babies. We would ask the public to tell us if they know of any shops that are selling it”.

Anyone with information about shops selling this product should telephone the West Yorkshire Consumer Helpline on:  0113 384 8848

For further information contact:-

Graham Hebblethwaite, Divisional Manager/General Media Contact,  0113 2898 218

Steven Kaye, Principal Officer, 0113 289 8229