On October 5, 2021, NLC advised that it had suspended the sale and use of its hand sanitizer, produced locally at Rock Spirits, pending further information from Health Canada. Subsequent to this decision, NLC, in collaboration with Health Canada, is initiating a voluntary recall of the product at the retail level.
The recall is being initiated as a result of an out of specification stability test result. There have been no health effects or complaints reported, and as a result this is classified as a Type II risk recall.
Health Canada defines Type II risk as “a situation in which the use of, or exposure to, a product may cause temporary adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote.”
It is important to note that in the production of hand sanitizer, NLC completed all the regulatory requirements for acquiring a site license and its product license under Health Canada’s Interim Measures Guidelines for hand sanitizer producers. It completed all testing and licensing requirements, and strictly followed an established World Health Organization (WHO) formulation (Guide to Local Production of WHO recommended Handrub Formulations). All product met the required specifications at the time of production.
While this recall technically only affects specific lots, NLC is exercising utmost prudence in discontinuing sale of hand sanitizer until the investigation is complete. NLC will cooperate and work closely with Health Canada and our wholesale customers (retailers) over the coming days to remove all affected product from the market. NLC will contact affected wholesale customers directly with next steps in the coming days. For any further inquiries, please contact