Councilmember Leroy Comrie has reacted to the alleged distribution of counterfeit toothpaste in the southeast Queens community.
“A constituent visited my district office to alert me to the possibility that counterfeit toothpaste was allegedly being distributed for free by a local supermarket located in the St. Alban’s area,” said Comrie. “The constituent provided me with the toothpaste he allegedly was given by the market and his store receipt. The toothpaste is marked in ‘Colgate’ packaging and labeled as ‘made in Boksburg, South Africa.’”
Comrie said that, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the following products have been identified as counterfeit:
He is asking that any resident within the southeast Queens community who purchased or was given a Colgate-brand toothpaste that states it was made in South Africa call his office at 718-776-3700.
“Recently, the Colgate-Palmolive company issued a warning that counterfeit toothpaste falsely packaged as ‘Colgate’ had been found in several dollar-type stores in New York and other states,” said Comrie. “There were indications that the product does not contain fluoride, but rather diethylene glycol (antifreeze).”
He continued, “I found the news that this product was allegedly being given out by a local supermarket freely to residents in the community extremely disturbing. If it turns out to be true, this would demonstrate an extreme disregard for the health and well-being of adults and children in the southeast Queens community. The city’s Health Department has been alerted to the potential hazard and called for an investigation into this matter.
