Europe (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Nestlé has recalled batches of infant formula in Europe after detecting possible toxin contamination that may cause nausea and vomiting.
The recall, which started on a smaller scale in December, puts additional strain on Philipp Navratil, the new CEO, who is trying to resuscitate growth through a portfolio review following a period of turbulent management.
Nestle, a company that produces everything from KitKats to Nescafe, announced late on Monday that no illnesses had been linked to the recalled goods.
Nestle conducted
“testing of all arachidonic acid oil and corresponding oil mixes used in the production of its potentially impacted infant nutrition products,”
according to a Nestle representative, following the discovery of a quality problem in an ingredient from a top supplier.
After testing was finished, Nestle recalled the impacted goods, activated arachidonic acid oil suppliers, increased production at multiple factories, and expedited product release.
Companies may suffer if there are issues with baby formula. Reckitt (RKT.L) opens a new tab and is considering options, including a sale, for its Mead Johnson business, which is the subject of hundreds of lawsuits in the United States over allegations that its newborn formula can cause a fatal bowel condition in premature babies. The company disputes these allegations.
Nearly a quarter of the $92.2 billion worldwide infant nutrition market is controlled by Nestle, whose stock has dropped more than 3% in the last two sessions.
Infant formula is a part of Nestle’s Nutrition and Health Science division, which made up 16.6% of the company’s overall revenues of 91.4 billion Swiss francs ($115.4 billion) in 2024. Nestle does not disclose sales figures.
Cereulide, a toxin generated by some strains of Bacillus cereus, may have contaminated quantities distributed throughout Europe, Turkey, and Argentina, according to Nestle.
“Cereulide … can cause food poisoning symptoms which can be quick to develop and include vomiting and stomach cramps,”
said Jane Rawling, head of incidents at the FSA.
According to Britain’s Food Standards Agency, the toxin
“is unlikely to be deactivated or destroyed by cooking, using boiling water or when making the infant milk.”
According to Austria’s health minister, the recall was the biggest in Nestle’s history, affecting over 800 items from more than ten plants. A representative for Nestle was unable to confirm those numbers.
Nestle stated it was trying to minimize supply disruption and released batch numbers for items marketed in different countries that shouldn’t be consumed.
The business claimed to have found the possible danger at one Dutch plant. Nestle’s research revealed that the tainted raw material had been utilized at several production facilities, including those outside the Netherlands, according to the Dutch food safety body NVWA.
Which specific batch numbers are affected in my country?
Specific affected batch figures are published independently for each country by controllers and by Nestlé, and they differ from request to request.
Check your public food ‑ safety authority’s recall runner( for illustration, in the UK the Food norms Agency lists all SMA batches under alert FSA ‑ PRIN ‑ 02 ‑ 2026, with exact canons and use ‑ by dates).
On your own drum or box, detect the batch or lot number( frequently near the expiry date on the base or side) and compare it directly with the list for your country; if it matches, stop using the product and follow the refund/ relief instructions in the recall notice.
