Health Minister Tony Ryall and Food Safety Minister Nikki Kaye have today confirmed Nutricia has narrowed the scope of the recall for infant formula.

'The Ministry for Primary Industries and Nutricia's verification work has enabled the recall to be narrowed only to 900g cans manufactured between 21 May 2013 and 2 August 2013 inclusive,” says Nikki.

The following 900g cans remain recalled:

• Nutricia Karicare Stage 1 Infant Formula (0-6 months) – produced between 21 May – 2 August 2013

• Nutricia Karicare Gold+ Stage 2 Follow-On Formula (from 6 months) – produced between 21 May – 2 August 2013

'If people still have 900g cans of the recalled product at home we recommend returning those back to where they were purchased to obtain a refund, however if they have a can outside the date range 21 May 2013 – 2 August 2013 I am advised they can be confident that product is not affected by potential contamination.”

People should check the production date on the base of the can:

'No other Nutricia Karicare products are being recalled. All sachets and sticks are now excluded from the recall and may be used by parents and caregivers.”

'The Director-General has advised me that consumers can also be satisfied that all infant formula on sale has not been manufactured using the potentially contaminated whey protein concentrate and is therefore safe to purchase,” says Nikki.

'It is important to reiterate that there have been no notifications of infant botulism up to this point,” says Tony.

'Plunket advises that calls to its helpline have reduced significantly and are now only slightly above average. Most callers are seeking advice on transitioning babies to other formulas.

'But if parents and caregivers have any concerns about the health of their infants, they should contact their GP or call Healthline or Plunketline.”

'Plunketline and Healthline nurses have answered many thousands of calls since Saturday, 3 August, and have done a fantastic job providing the necessary information to parents and caregivers,” says Tony.