02-05-2025
Batches of Ārepa's Brain Drink recalled after chipped glass injury
'If you have any of these affected products at home, don't drink them. You can return them to the place of purchase for a refund. If that's not possible, throw them out,' Arbuckle said.
NZFS said it received notification of an associated injury and would work with Alphagen.
'As is our usual practice, NZFS will work with Alphagen to understand how this happened and implement corrective actions,' Arbuckle said.
Code breach
In 2023, Alphagen was told to remove health claims from its drinks after it promised that The Brain Drink 'makes brains work better'.
The Herald published a full assessment of some of the brand's claims, titled 'Brain drink or fancy juice?' before action was taken by NZFS.
Alphagen then posted a note on its website noting that some of its claims had not been substantiated.
'Some of our health claims are in breach of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. Health claims attributed to Enzogenol (pine bark extract) and L-theanine have not been substantiated. Health claims attributed to the vitamin C content do not identify that vitamin C is responsible for the health benefit. We will be working with New Zealand Food Safety to remove or correct the health claims on the Ārepa product labels and advertising material.'
The products later returned to market with pared-back labelling.
