French firm Lactalis latest to recall baby formula amid contamination scare

French dairy goods company Lactalis has recalled batches of infant formula in France and more than a dozen other nations due to concerns that batches may have been contaminated by a toxin.

Following Nestle’s recall of infant formula in almost 60 nations since the start of the month, the announcement on Wednesday comes as a result.

According to the company, Lactalis is “continuing to conduct a voluntary recall of six batches of Picot infant milk, available in pharmacies and mass retail, due to the presence of cereulide in an ingredient supplied by a supplier,” referring to the toxin that can cause nausea and vomiting.

Parents of young children may be concerned about this information, the company said.

A company spokesman told the AFP news agency that the recall applies to Australia, Chile, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Spain, Madagascar, Mexico, Uzbekistan, Peru, Georgia, Greece, Kuwait, the Czech Republic, and Taiwan.

According to the spokesperson, the recall involves “a few batches” of formula in each nation.

The business claimed that the French authorities had not received any reports or claims relating to the consumption of these goods.

Recalls have recently impacted the infant formula sector.

Authorities in Singapore recalled batches of Nestle formula, Dumex baby formula, and French food tycoon Danone.

After detecting cereulide, the Singapore Food Agency ordered the precautionary recall of a batch of Nestle’s NAN HA1 SupremePro and Dumex Dulac 1 of Thai origin.

Danone claimed that only “a few pallets” of Dumex had been blocked, indicating that retail outlets were yet to stock them.

Since January, Nestle has issued recalls for the potential presence of cereulide, a bacterial substance that can lead to illness.

Following new research that revealed the potential presence of cereulide, Nestle France announced it was “preventive and voluntary recall” of some batches of its Guigoz and Nidal infant formulas.

No direct connection has been established between the infant’s consumption of milk from one of the batches recalled by Nestle, according to French health authorities who announced an investigation on Tuesday.