Third Nestlé baby formula recalled over toxin risk
Food safety authority extends warning to NAN Optipro 1 after SMA batches pulled
A third type of infant formula milk produced by Swiss food giant Nestlé is being recalled as it may also contain cereulide toxin.
On Monday, Nestlé announced it was recalling batches of SMA infant formula from several European markets including Malta after it detected a “quality issue”.
Malta’s Food Safety and Security Authority warned the SMA first infant milk (Batch: 51350346AA) and SMA advanced follow-on milk (Batch: 51890742F2) must not be consumed as they may contain cereulide toxin.
On Thursday, the authority announced that the same warning is being extended to NAN Optipro 1 (Batch: 51560346AE) sold in 800g containers with the expiry day of June 2027.
“The possible presence of cereulide (toxin) makes this product unsafe to consume,” the authority said.
Cereulide is a toxin produced by some strains of Bacillus cereus. Cereulide is highly heat stable meaning it is unlikely to be deactivated or destroyed by cooking, using boiling water or when making the infant milk.
The authority warned that if consumed it can lead to rapid onset of food poisoning symptoms which may include nausea, vomiting and abdominal cramps.
Consumers are urged to throw away the product or return it to the story from which it was purchased.
In its statement on Monday, Nestlé said that “no illnesses have been confirmed in connection with the products involved to date.”