The Tnuva dairy products manufacturer on Thursday began recalling hundreds of 3% milk cartons bearing the expiry dates of December 9, 10, 13 and 15 due to the "suspected absorption of an uncharacteristic odor or taste", the company said in a statement.
The recalled units were marketed to the central Israel region, from Binyamina to Rishon Lezion. According to the company, the barcode number on the packages is 7290000042442 and they include the caption "Certified kosher by Tnuva's rabbi".
Tnuva cautioned its consumers not to drink the milk if a strange taste or smell are felt. The company said any questions would be answered at Tnuva's consumer service line at 1-800-666-244.
The company added that "the products were inspected before leaving the dairy and were found to be intact. The uncharacteristic odor or taste were likely absorbed during the storage procedure. Tnuva is committed to the high quality of its products and is conducts itself with complete transparency toward its consumers.
"We are taking extra precautions, recalling the products from the stores and informing consumers through the media. The company apologizes to its consumers for this inconvenience and will continue maintaining the high quality and safety of its products."
A Tnuva official told Ynet on Thursday evening, "Dozens of phone calls were received at Tnuva's consumer service line from customers from the Binyamina area to Rishon Lezion.
"The products which could have been recalled were sent to the dairy for tests and are being tested as we speak. As the quality of Tnuva's products is our top priority, and we ordered the recall for the sake of caution."
In mid September, Tnuva recalled 80 units of 5% cream cheese with salmon and onion due to possible contamination with the Listeria bacterium.