Luxury Hotel Soaps from Gilchrist & Soames Voluntarily Recalled
Posted: Mar 30, 2016 7:01 PM CDT
(CNN)Luxury hotel toiletry maker Gilchrist & Soames Inc. is voluntarily recalling some of its shampoos and shower gels after they were found to have microbial contamination.
The recall came after Gilchrist & Soames was warned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on March 16 that some of its products were contaminated with harmful bacteria. Two shower gels and two shampoos were found to contain what the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act deems "poisonous or deleterious substances" -- in this case, bacteria that are potentially harmful to human health.
The products affected are the Gilchrist & Soames Spa Therapy Conditioning Shampoo, Shower Gel, Pelican Hill Shower Gel and Essential Elements Shampoo.
One pathogen found in the bath products is known to be highly resistant to antibacterial agents and can cause life-threatening infections. Other pathogens found in these products can increase users' risk of infection, which is most dangerous for people with compromised immune systems.
The FDA also inspected Gilchrist & Soames' Plainfield, Indiana, manufacturing facility and found that the company failed to comply with standard sanitary procedures, which include routine evaluation of raw materials and proper maintenance of machinery.
"Your firm does not perform any microbial testing on any raw materials, nor have you validated your suppliers' quality testing through independent verification," the FDA wrote in its notice to Kathie DeVoe, president and CEO of Gilchrist & Soames. Gilchrist & Soames was advised to develop a plan to prevent the recurrence of these violations.
In response to the FDA inspections, Gilchrist & Soames conducted a voluntary recall of these products.
"Based on a thorough review of the facility and processes by an independent subject matter expert in microbiology, G&S has introduced new procedures, including increased testing of product, enhanced sanitation and new associate training," said a statement from Nehl Horton, senior vice president and chief communications and government relations officer of Sysco, which bought Gilchrist & Soames in 2015.
The company also temporarily closed parts of their Indiana facility for cleaning. "We take seriously the issues raised by the FDA and will continue to work closely with the agency to demonstrate that we have acted quickly and thoroughly to address its concerns," Horton said.
In 2015, in collaboration with the FDA, Gilchrist & Soames conducted voluntary recalls of more than 2 million products that were similarly contaminated.
In 2007, a toothpaste product that contained a chemical used to thicken antifreeze, potentially leading to liver damage, was also recalled.