24/12/2008 - Stores recall Colgate toothpaste
Sainsbury's and Boots have had to recall thousands of tubes of fake Colgate toothpaste after they were duped into selling the counterfeit product.
The toothpaste labelled Colgate Cavity Protection came in 100ml tubes and was sold in stores between November 28 and December 5.
Sainsbury's has written to 17,000 customers and put recall notices in branches nationwide to get the products back, and to offer a refund.
It said there are "no health risks" over the fake product, despite batches of fake Colgate sold in the US last year were found to contain the chemical diethylene glycol, which is an ingredient in anti-freeze.
A spokesman for the supermarket said: "We believe there are no health risks associated with using the counterfeit toothpaste but, as it is not a genuine Colgate product. We have notified the trading standards authorities.
"We believed the supplier we bought the toothpaste from was reputable, and we are carrying out a full investigation."
Boots said customers who use loyalty cards have been contacted and it too has put notices in branches.
A spokeswoman said: "We take the health and well-being of our customers extremely seriously. As soon as we were made aware of a possible issue with this product, it was immediately withdrawn from sale."
Copyright © Press Association 2008
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