According to a report on TypicallySpanish.com, several bottles of Tahitian Noni Juice confiscated from a man in Ogijares, Grenada were found to contain a large amount of cocaine.
The man died last month and cocaine was confirmed to be found in his body during an autopsy.
An alert was sent out in the area warning people about drinking the Tahitian Noni Juice, which is manufactured by Morinda (apparently in Mexico).
I contacted Tahitian Noni in the United States and got the following response from company Director of Public Relations, Andre Peterson:
"The alert has been lifted in Spain for TAHITIAN NONI Juice. They ask if anyone has Mexican labeled TNJ to report that to the authorities. The cocaine was found in old Mexican labeled bottles of TNJ, that were not legally sold in Spain."Here is a full press release on the subject from Tahitian Noni:
Spanish Authorities confirm safety of Tahitian Noni Juice
Tahitian Noni International welcomes the decision by the Spanish Health Authorities to lift the alert on Tahitian Noni Juice in Spain. Tahitian Noni International has always confidently stood by the safety of its product which has undergone rigorous independent testing by European food safety authorities and would like to thank the Spanish authorities for their efficient collaboration.
Munich, 21 February 2008 – Following an in depth analysis and a full cooperation from Tahitian Noni International, the local Spanish Health Authorities issued a statement confirming that the person deceased in Andalusia died of an overdose of cocaine. As a consequence, authorities have cleared Tahitian Noni International and its products of any implications in this matter. While we express sympathies for the victims of this criminal act, Tahitian Noni is grateful to the Spanish Authorities for a quick investigation that has lifted the alert on Tahitian Noni Juice confirming that the product was tampered with and found its way to the victim by illegal means.
Tahitian Noni International would like to reiterate the fact that the company has very strict safety and quality control policies with extensive testing and validation distribution methods. The company applies strict controls at ALL its production sites and the company stands by the safety of its juice across ALL regions. Tahitian Noni International would also like to stress that the many safety and controls enforced by the company are guaranteed thanks to the official distribution channels. We therefore largely encourage our Spanish consumers to only buy our products with Spanish labels in Spain via Tahitian Noni International’s official distribution channels made of professional and trained individuals.
From the very outset, Tahitian Noni International has always confidently stood by the safety of its products. The Spanish authorities have reinforced this position, so did the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which confirmed that TAHITIAN NONI™ Juice is safe for human consumption in its opinion published on 6 September 2006.
Tahitian Noni International has proved its high level collaboration with the Spanish Authorities and its commitment to full transparency by directly informing its consumers and core supporters. David Warren, Regional General Manager comments: “We have always considered Spain a core market and would like to thank our loyal consumers for their continued support. We remain strongly committed to delivering to Spanish consumers the high-quality products and services they have come to expect”.
Consumers are invited to call 900-98-1779 (or send an email to qualitycontrol@morinda.com) for any additional information they would like to get on the products.
For more information on any of the points contained in this statement, please contact:
Kathrin Aue
PR Manager Europe
Tahitian Noni International
Tel.: +49 (0)89 25 55 19 950
Mobile: +49 (0)162 26 98 683
E-Mail: kathrin_aue@de.tni.com
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