By Muhammad Amaan with agency report
Nestlé has expanded a global recall of several batches of its infant and follow-on formulas, including SMA, BEBA and NAN, across dozens of countries in Europe, Africa, the Americas and Asia, citing the risk of contamination with a toxin that can cause nausea and vomiting.
The food and beverage giant said the recall was prompted by the possible presence of cereulide, a toxin produced by some strains of Bacillus cereus, following the detection of a quality issue in an ingredient supplied by a major vendor.
Nestlé stressed that no illnesses or adverse symptoms linked to the recalled products have been confirmed so far.
According to Reuters, the recall, which began on a limited scale in December, has now widened significantly, adding pressure on the company’s new Chief Executive Officer, Philipp Navratil, who is seeking to revive growth through a portfolio review after a period of management upheaval.
A Nestlé spokesperson said the company had carried out extensive checks after identifying the problem.
“Nestlé has undertaken testing of all arachidonic acid oil and corresponding oil mixes used in the production of its potentially impacted infant nutrition products,” the spokesperson said.
At least 37 countries, including most European states as well as Australia, Brazil, China, Mexico and South Africa, have issued health warnings over the affected infant formulas. The recall covers products sold across Europe, as well as in Turkey and Argentina.
Britain’s Food Standards Agency warned that cereulide is particularly concerning because it is heat-stable. “The toxin is unlikely to be deactivated or destroyed by cooking, using boiling water or when making the infant milk,” the agency said.
It added that cereulide can cause rapid-onset food poisoning symptoms, including vomiting and stomach cramps.
Austria’s health ministry said the recall affected more than 800 products from over 10 Nestlé factories, describing it as the largest recall in the company’s history, although Nestlé said it could not independently verify those figures.
Nestlé said it had published batch numbers of the affected products and was working to minimise supply disruption by activating alternative suppliers of arachidonic acid oil, ramping up production at several factories and accelerating the release of unaffected products from distribution centres.
The company disclosed that the potential risk was first identified at a factory in the Netherlands. The Dutch food safety authority, NVWA, said Nestlé’s investigation showed the contaminated raw material had been used at multiple production sites, including outside the Netherlands.
Nestlé, whose shares have fallen by more than three per cent in recent trading sessions, controls almost a quarter of the $92.2bn global infant nutrition market, according to SkyQuest Technology Group.
While the company does not publish detailed sales figures for infant formula, the product segment falls under its Nutrition and Health Science division, which accounted for 16.6 per cent of Nestlé’s total sales of 91.4bn Swiss francs ($115.4bn) in 2024.
In Nigeria, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has yet to issue a public advisory or official reaction to the latest recall as of the time of filing this report. Calls and messages sent to NAFDAC’s media consultant, Sayo Akintola, were not returned.
The latest development comes amid heightened scrutiny of infant nutrition products globally.
