The massive recall of infant formula in France and many other countries, announced by Lactalis on Wednesday, is the latest of several alarms, false and real, that have shaken the industry:
– Suspected cereulide –
Swiss giant Nestle has issued recalls of infant formula in around sixty countries since the beginning of January.
Like Lactalis, Nestle issued the recalls due to the potential presence of “cereulide,” a bacterial substance that can cause diarrhoea and vomiting.
French health authorities announced on Tuesday that they were investigating the death of a baby who had consumed Nestle infant formula affected by the recall, although no direct link has so far been established.
French food giant Danone announced on Wednesday that Singaporean authorities had blocked a “few pallets” of its Dumex Stage 1 infant formula, adding that the products were not yet in stores.
– Salmonella Contamination –
In January 2019, French company Sodilac recalled 400,000 boxes of infant formula manufactured in a factory in northern Spain, including Modilac brand formula.
The recall was issued after infants in France who had consumed the products contracted salmonella poisoning, which can be serious for the most vulnerable.
Lactalis, meanwhile, was charged in 2023, notably for “aggravated deception” and “involuntary injury”, due to its handling of the 2017-2018 infant formula crisis, when several dozen children in France contracted salmonella poisoning.
Investigators established a link between the cases and the consumption of a product from its factory in northwest France.
In January 2018, after several weeks of the crisis, the group withdrew all infant formula produced at the factory, where production had been suspended for more than six months.
– New Zealand false botulism scare –
Unfounded fears of botulism contamination in Fonterra products used in infant formula triggered a global recall in 2013.
The Danone group, whose products were affected, subsequently won compensation.
Fonterra believed it had detected a bacterium that could cause botulism, a poisoning that can lead to paralysis or even death, in three batches of whey, but further tests showed that it was actually a harmless bacterium.
– Melamine Poisoning in China –
Contaminated powdered milk poisoned around 300,000 children and caused the deaths of six babies from kidney problems in China in 2008.
Melamine, a known cause of kidney stones, was found in the powdered milk consumed by the poisoned children.
The substance was detected in products made by twenty Chinese dairy companies and worldwide in ice cream, cookies, and candy, hitting major brands including Cadbury, Snickers, and M&M’s.
The scandal triggered waves of recalls of numerous Chinese dairy products across the world.
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