The Swiss food and drink giant first recalled more than 60 batches of its baby formula last month after concerns arose over possible toxin fears.
Picked up during routine testing at one of its factories in the Netherlands, Nestlé detected the presence of the cereulide toxin (stemming from the Bacillus cereus bacteria), which can cause vomiting and diarrhoea when ingested.
The heat-resistant toxin was found to have entered the formula’s recipe via arachidonic acid (ARA) oil, a key ingredient of baby formula designed support brain and nervous system development.
Supplied by a Chinese company, the ingredient is used in several SMA products, including powders and pre-mixed formula.
French diary powerhouses Danone and Lactalis have also been implicated in the incident, and have issued similar recalls for their own baby formula products, which included ARA oil supplied by the Chinese firm.
This latest recall concerns 800g packs of SMA Advanced First Infant Milk with a best before date of December 2027 and marked 53390346AB.
In statement concerning these new developments, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has said: “We want parents and caregivers to know Nestlé are updating their recall to include one more batch of infant formula. This additional batch has been supplied in Northern Ireland.
“If you have any of the affected products, stop using them and switch to an alternative formula. If your baby’s formula was prescribed, speak to a pharmacist or doctor before changing. If you have already fed the formula to your baby and are concerned, contact your GP or call NHS 111.”
In what is no doubt now a critical incident for Nestlé, Danone and Lactalis, parents have begin coming forward to express concerns after their infants became ill following consumption of the recalled products.
