French dairy giant Lactalis has announced a voluntary recall of six batches of Picot brand infant milk in 18 countries due to the presence of cereulide toxin. The recall follows a similar action by Nestlé earlier this month over the same contaminant.
Lactalis Nutrition Santé (LNS) stated that the affected products were distributed through pharmacies and supermarkets. The toxin, cereulide, is produced by Bacillus cereus bacteria and can cause diarrhoea and vomiting.
A Lactalis spokesperson confirmed the recall covers Australia, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Czech Republic, Ecuador, France, Georgia, Greece, Kuwait, Madagascar, Mexico, Monaco, Spain, Peru, Taiwan, and Uzbekistan.
Nestlé also recalled specific batches of its SMA infant and follow-on formulas after the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) warned they may contain cereulide. The FSA advised parents not to feed these products to infants and to seek medical advice if concerned.
Jane Rawling, head of incidents at the FSA, said: “Cereulide is a toxin produced by food poisoning bacteria Bacillus cereus, and can cause food poisoning symptoms which can be quick to develop and include vomiting and stomach cramps.” She added that urgent action is being taken to remove affected products from sale.
