Angry in the Great White North

At the local dollar store, I picked up a tube of Colgate Fluoride Toothpaste, Gel, with Calcium.

Here are scans of the box:

As you can see, the label clearly says "Manufactured by: Colgate-Palmolive (PTY) Ltd., South Africa - 528 Commissioner Street, Boksburg, 1460".

Colgate is on record as saying that toothpaste made in South Africa is not imported into the United States:

Colgate-Palmolive Co. on Thursday said counterfeit "Colgate" toothpaste that may contain a toxic chemical had been found in discount stores in four U.S. states.

"There are indications that this product does not contain fluoride and may contain diethylene glycol," the company said in a statement.

Colgate-Palmolive said the counterfeit toothpaste was found in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland. It can be recognized because it is labeled as being manufactured in South Africa, and the company does not import toothpaste to the United States from South Africa.

The packaging also contains several misspellings, Colgate said, adding that it was working closely with the FDA to help identify those responsible for the counterfeit product.

I don't know what Colgate-Palmolive's policy is in Canada. Maybe they do import South African toothpaste here.

Disturbingly, this box also has misspellings (the third picture highlights two of them), though different from the ones reported in the United States:

"Children 6 years and under shoild have adult supervision..."

"Coigate Gel's dual Fluoride forumula heips lock in..."

"Colgate helps protect your teeth agalnst cavities."

Now what sort of legitimate packaging misspells Colgate?

So I have to ask myself, does Colgate import poorly labeled toothpaste products into Canada from South Africa? Or is this a case similar to the United States, where a counterfeit product is being sold as Colgate?

And if the product is fake, are the contents fake too?

Are some Canadians brushing their teeth with antifreeze?

Update: From the LawFuel Law News Network:

MS USA Trading, Inc. of North Bergen, NJ, is recalling all lots of 5 ounce tubes of Colgate, because it has the potential to be contaminated with diethylene glycol (DEG) chemical found in anti-freeze. MS USA Trading is concerned about potential risks from chronic exposure to DEG and exposure to DEG in certain populations, such as children and individuals with kidney or liver disease.

Colgate was distributed in NJ, NY, PA and MD in discount retail stores.

The product comes in a 5 ounce (100ml), made in South Africa is printed on the box. The recall includes the following brands: Regular, Gel, Triple and Herbal.

The tube I bought is 100ml, with "5 oz" attached as a sticker attached on one end. It is a "Gel" brand.

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