Nestlé Issues Voluntary Recall of Baby Milk in Several European Countries

Nestlé has announced on its website that it has detected a quality issue with an ingredient from one of its major suppliers. On Monday evening, Nestlé France stated it is conducting a "preventive and voluntary recall of certain batches of Guigoz and Nidal infant milk," following a voluntary recall initiated in early December concerning a batch of Guigoz infant milk in France.

This "expanded preventive recall of certain batches of Guigoz and Nidal infant milk sold in France" comes after "new investigations led to the detection of a quality incident related to an ingredient manufactured by one of its suppliers."

These investigations "revealed the potential presence of cereulide, a bacterial toxin originating from the microorganism Bacillus cereus, which can cause digestive issues (diarrhea and vomiting)."

The group stated it has "conducted an analysis of all arachidonic acid oils and corresponding oil blends used in the production of potentially affected infant nutrition products."

When contacted by AFP, Nestlé confirmed it is "in contact with the authorities in the affected countries to ensure necessary measures are taken."

This is a precautionary measure, as "no cases of illness related to the affected products have been confirmed so far," they emphasized.

On the local versions of its website for each affected country, Nestlé has published photos with the batch numbers of products sold under different names in each country. In Germany, they are notably sold under the brands Beba and Alfamino. Nestlé provides instructions for returning the products and obtaining refunds, as well as a number for consumer inquiries.

In December, Nestlé had previously recalled infant milk, particularly in France, following the detection of the microorganism Bacillus cereus on a production line, which had sparked criticism from the NGO Foodwatch for its "very vague" communication.

Source: France 24