Danone today (23 January) issued a European recall of infant-formula due to the possible presence of the toxin cereulide.
Products made at a Danone site in Ireland and shipped to markets in Europe are being recalled.
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Earlier this week, the French giant pulled a product from shelves in Singapore at the request of the local regulator as a precautionary measure.
In a statement today, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) said Danone is recalling batches of infant formula and follow-on formula due to the “potential presence of cereulide”.
The FSAI said the products were manufactured in Ireland and exported to “a number of EU countries, the UK and third countries”. None had been distributed in Ireland, the regulator added.
“This recall is associated with a contaminated raw ingredient which was also implicated in the recent recall of some batches of infant formula and follow-on formula by Nestlé,” the FSAI said. “An ingredient, ARA oil, which was manufactured in China, was contaminated with cereulide and added as an ingredient in base powder used to make infant formula and follow-on formula.”
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By GlobalDataNestlé first put out a recall notice in December for specific batches of its Nan stage 1 formula in Europe as a precautionary measure following the detection of the Bacillus cereus bacteria.
The Swiss giant expanded its recall earlier this month after identifying the presence of the cereulide toxin in an ingredient from a supplier. Nestlé has recalled formula from more than 60 countries.
This week, French dairy giant Lactalis also joined the recall notice, pulling products from 18 markets.
In a brief statement, Danone said today: “Both our routine controls and additional targeted analyses carried out in light of the current situation in the industry confirm Danone’s products are safe and fully compliant will all applicable safety regulations.
“In light of this sector situation, some local food safety authorities are evolving their guidance.
“In that context, as a responsible manufacturer and to comply with the latest guidance, Danone will withdraw from targeted markets a very limited number of specific batches of infant-formula products.”
Meanwhile, prosecutors in France have opened investigations into the deaths of two babies said to have consumed formula recalled by Nestlé.
France’s Ministry of Health, Families, Autonomy and Persons with Disabilities, through its Health Crisis Centre, confirmed the investigations but said there was as yet no evidence of a link between the formula eaten by the babies and their symptoms.
“To our knowledge, based on information we have to date, no illnesses have been confirmed in connection with the products involved in the recall,” a Nestlé spokesperson said.
