PUBLISHED ONOctober 29, 2025 3:11 AMBYCandice CaiThe manufacturer of the popular 'Hong Thai Formula 2' herbal inhalers has voluntarily recalled 200,000 units of the product from shelves in Thailand, after a routine laboratory test found evidence of microbial contamination.
Thailand's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had issued a warning on Oct 20, deeming the product substandard and advising the public to exercise caution when buying or using the product.
The product was found to have exceeded limits in Total Aerobic Microbial Count, Total Combined Yeasts and Mould Count, with the detection of multiple species of bacteria belonging to the Clostridium group.
The failure to meet the quality standards for microbial contamination is a violation under the Notification of the Ministry of Public Health on Standards, Purity, and Other Critical Characteristics Affecting Product Quality, reported The Nation.
Those found manufacturing or distributing products that do not meet quality standards face up to three years' jail, a fine of 300,000 baht (S$11,985), or both.
Additional penalties of up to 100,000 baht apply for selling substandard herbal goods.
In response to the FDA's announcement, manufacturer Hong Thai Panich stated in a series of Facebook posts on Tuesday (Oct 28) that the contaminated inhalers belonged to a particular batch manufactured on Dec 9, 2018, with an expiry date of Dec 8, 2027.
[embed]https://www.facebook.com/HongthaiBrandOfficial/posts/pfbid023aHnQxz4sewPeFBTvqLKG1hbNsE29StsmjqzaY5LvTX9B6jxFwjsVjekE4ZA4dovl[/embed]
It added that the 200,000 units recalled from the market will be destroyed.
Hong Thai Panich also issued an apology to customers and offered a refund to customers who had purchased inhalers from the recalled batch.
The company stated that since the incident, it has upgraded their production processes with additional quality controls, including UV sterilization, to ensure that all future products released to the market "are safe, hygienic, and compliant with the highest standards".
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candicecai@asiaone.com
