Spiral Foods, the Australian distributor of Bonsoy soy milk, has issued a statement about the product after agreeing to a multi-million dollar settlement.
In what's been dubbed the largest food safety-related class action settlement in Australia, Spiral Foods, along with the Japanese manufacturers and exporters of Bonsoy, Marusan-ai Co Ltd and Muso Co Ltd, have agreed to pay $25 million.
Despite the settlement, Bonsoy's makers have not admitted liability. Spiral Foods, which positions itself as a supplier of wholesome, traditional foods with an emphasis on organics, issued a statement yesterday.
In the statement, the company said that although it would like to thank all of its customers for their feedback in regards to Bonsoy, it would like to clarify some points on the recent news surrounding the levels of iodine in its soy milk.
“In late 2009, we took the precaution of voluntarily recalling Bonsoy due to its levels of naturally sourced iodine, via an ingredient called Kombu. Kombu was used in Bonsoy from 2004-2009. We reformulated to ensure our soy milk retained its creamy flavour while excluding Kombu as an ingredient.
“In keeping with Spiral Foods’ commitment to quality, Bonsoy does not include any additives, oils or flavour enhancers and remains available for sale under the new reformulation on supermarket shelves, in health shops and cafés across Australia.
“For 30 years, we have been providing high quality, organic food products for you, our customers, and we look forward to continuing to offer these products for you over the next 30 years,” Spiral said.
The class action alleged that the use of a seaweed-based ingredient called Kombu, used between 2004 and 2009 to increase the saltiness of the product, led to unsafe levels of iodine.
The levels of iodine intake were allegedly 50 times the recommended daily intake (that is 30mg/L), and around 500 people reported suffering negative health effects, including thyroid problems, after drinking Bonsoy.
