Angry in the Great White North

Until now, the counterfeit Colgate toothpaste has been in only four states -- New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. That is based on a single importer, MS USA Trading, and the distribution channels used:

MS USA Trading 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.

Now I have a tube of toothpaste in my hand, Colgate Gel brand, made in South Africa, in the five ounce size. So how did I get it here in Ontario, Canada?

And if it could show up in Ontario, where else could it be?

Apparently the fake toothpaste is showing up in Florida now:

Tubes of tainted toothpaste have turned up in Florida.

According to WINK News in Fort Myers, the counterfeit Colgate was discovered on the shelves of a Price Buster Food Center on Palm Beach Boulevard.

Florida is the fifth state where the dangerous toothpaste has been found on store shelves.

The store’s manager told WINK he had no idea the bad toothpaste was in Florida and he cleared the shelves of the fake version.

The counterfeit product looks just like the Colgate brand, they are nearly identical, unless you know what to specifically look for on the packaging.

The counterfeit Colgate comes in a five-ounce tube. Colgate doesn’t make a five-ounce tube for sale in the U.S. In addition, there are words misspelled on the packaging.

My package has misspelled words, including "Coigate".

At least four states have reported finding the counterfeit toothpaste, sold under the Colgate name, on discount store shelves.

They've since been removed. Experts say the toothpaste, made overseas, contained traces of DEG, a poisonous chemical often found in antifreeze.

But now, a 27 NEWSFIRST investigation found the toothpaste in question was also being sold at a Lexington discount store.

We found it Saturday afternoon at Dollar King, on Richmond Road.

The store is now taking action to remove the toothpaste from its shelves.

The U.S.D.A is warning customers if you buy Colgate toothpaste from any store, make sure it does not read "Made in South Africa" anywhere on the box.

So we add Florida and Kentucky to the list. Is there another importer involved, or has the material brought in by MS USA Trading migrated beyond the four states initially identified?

And who imports into Canada? Who delivered these toothpaste tubes to Guelph, Ontario? Are dollar stores throughout southern Ontario selling this product?

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