Africa: Comesa Warns Consumers Over Contaminated Woolworths Shampoo

What the report says

The COMESA Competition and Consumer Commission has alerted shoppers across the region to a recall involving Woolworths’ WBeauty Complete Clarifying Shampoo. According to the report from Capital FM, the 250ml product was withdrawn after it was found to potentially contain Pluralibacter gergoviae, a bacterium associated with wet manufacturing environments.

COMESA’s consumer welfare director, Steven Kamukama, said the concern is that the contamination could create an infection risk for people with weakened or compromised immune systems. The commission said the affected batch was distributed in Eswatini, Zambia and Mauritius, while also warning that cross-border trade could mean the product reached other COMESA markets.

The commission advised consumers who bought the shampoo to stop using it immediately and return it to a Woolworths store for a full refund under the retailer’s recall process. It said it was working with Woolworths and other relevant authorities to support the recall and protect consumers.

The warning comes as Woolworths has recently expanded its beauty presence in Kenya, but the recall announcement itself focuses on the shampoo safety issue and its regional distribution. More broadly, product recalls for possible bacterial contamination are typically handled as precautionary consumer protection measures when there is a potential health risk.