Nestle Recalls Infant Formula in Europe Over Toxin Risk

Nestle, the Swiss-based food giant, announced a precautionary recall on Monday of specific batches of its infant formula products across several European countries, including France, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Italy, Sweden and Ireland, due to the potential presence of a bacterial toxin in one of its ingredients.

The recall targets batches of the company's SMA infant formula, marketed under various brand names depending on the country, such as Guigoz and Nidal in France, Beba and Alfamino in Germany, and similar products in other affected nations. The issue stems from a detected quality problem in arachidonic acid oil, an ingredient supplied by one of Nestle's major vendors. Testing revealed possible traces of cereulide, a toxin produced by the bacterium Bacillus cereus, which is commonly found in the environment but considered unacceptable in infant nutrition even in minute amounts.

Cereulide can cause rapid-onset symptoms including nausea, vomiting and abdominal cramps if ingested, with effects potentially appearing within five hours and lasting six to 24 hours. However, Nestle emphasized that the concentrations detected were low and do not pose a health risk. The company...