Tom's of Maine toothpaste tainted with bacteria, says U.S. Food and Drug Administration

A recent inspection of a Tom's of Maine facility found that the company's toothpaste was made using bacteria-tainted water, among other serious health violations, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

In a warning letter to CEO Noel Wallace, the FDA said the inspection uncovered disease-causing bacteria in water used to make Tom's Simply White Clean Mint Paste. The water was sampled between June 2021 to Oct. 2022.

The company uncovered a different bacteria in its Wicked Cool! Anticavity Toothpaste, and justified the bacteria as "sample contamination" without sufficient evidence, the FDA said.

An agency investigator also found a mould-like substance near a water storage tank at the company's facility in Sanford, Maine, and a powdery residue on a surface near a station where Tom's Silly Strawberry Anticavity was being made.

The FDA letter said that the facility's water system is inadequate and that the company needs a better complaints system to address consumer concerns.

"For example, approximately 400 complaints related to [odour], [colour], and taste in your toothpaste products, including those for children, were not investigated," the letter read.

"These complaints are not investigated because your procedure requires an investigation only if a trend is identified."

The agency added that the violations outlined in the letter were not intended as an exhaustive list, and that it's the company's responsibility to identify the cause of violations and prevent them from recurring.

Tom's of Maine is a natural personal care brand owned by household products giant Colgate-Palmolive. CBC News reached out to the company for a statement.

"We're working with the FDA and are remedying the issues raised in their May inspection of the Tom's toothpaste manufacturing plant in Sanford, Maine," a spokesperson said.

"We have always tested finished goods before they leave our control, and we remain fully confident in the safety and quality of the toothpaste we make."

CBC News also reached out to several retailers to ask if they carry any of the products mentioned in the letter.