Date issued: 30 Jun 2023
Issued by: Adjunct Clinical Professor Brett Sutton, Chief Health Officer
Issued to: Health professionals and the Victorian community
Key messages
- Non-food grade poppy seeds have incorrectly entered the food supply chain. These seeds are not intended for human consumption and are not safe to consume.
- This batch of poppy seeds is high in thebaine, and when brewed into a concentrated form such as a tea, has resulted in cases of severe toxicity.
- Anyone who has consumed large quantities of poppy seeds, for example as a drink, and experiences any unusual and severe symptoms should attend their nearest Emergency Department.
- The affected product is Royal Fields Poppy Seeds with a best before date of 25/06/2024. For further information on this product, see the recall notice on the Food Safety Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) website.
- The product has recently been sold in Coles stores in Victoria and across Australia. It has now been removed from sale by Coles.
- An investigation is ongoing to identify whether this product has been distributed elsewhere.
- Customers are advised to check all poppy seed purchases for recalled batch numbers.
- The Victorian Poisons Information Centre can be contacted 24/7 on 13 11 26 and can provide more information about poisons and what to do in suspected cases of thebaine poisoning linked to consumption of poppy seeds.
Read the full Alert: Health warning on poppy seeds-update
