LONDON: Nestle on Tuesday announced a recall of certain batches of its infant nutrition products, including SMA, BEBA, and NAN formulas, across Europe due to potential contamination with a toxin that can cause nausea and vomiting.
The recall, which began on a smaller scale in December, follows the detection of a quality issue in an ingredient supplied to Nestle. The company has conducted extensive testing of arachidonic acid oil and related oil mixes used in the potentially affected products.
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No illnesses or symptoms linked to the recalled products have been reported, Nestle said. The potential contaminant, cereulide, is produced by some strains of Bacillus cereus. Britain’s Food Standards Agency warned that the toxin is not destroyed by boiling water or during formula preparation, and can lead to rapid-onset symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, or abdominal cramps. Norway’s food safety authority stated that there is no acute health risk.
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The recall affects batches sold in Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, and the UK. Austria’s health ministry described it as the largest product recall in Nestle’s history, covering more than 800 items from over 10 factories.
Nestle, which holds nearly a quarter of the $92 billion global infant nutrition market, said the recall may impact supply but it is working to minimize disruption. The company identified the potential risk at one of its Netherlands factories and has published batch numbers of the affected products.
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The recall poses a significant challenge for Nestle CEO Philipp Navratil, who is pursuing growth through a portfolio review after a period of management transitions.