According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), several infant nutrition products are being recalled in multiple countries due to the detection of cereulide, a toxin produced by the bacterium Bacillus cereus that can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea. These precautionary recalls and withdrawals began in December 2025 and have continued through January 2026 as a preventive public health measure. The recalls are taking place globally, affecting products sold both within Europe and in countries outside Europe.
Healthy.mt is looking into how different countries are responding to the ongoing baby formula recalls.
Cereulide can trigger sudden nausea, vomiting, and stomach pain within 30 minutes to six hours after ingestion. In younger infants, it may disturb the body’s salt balance and could lead to complications such as dehydration. While the overall risk to health is considered low to moderate, neonates and infants under six months are at higher risk of more severe illness.
With the products being actively withdrawn and recalled across multiple countries, the likelihood of further exposure is steadily decreasing.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has received reports of diarrhoea in infants following consumption of some of the recalled products. Investigations at national levels are ongoing, and so far, no severe cases have been reported in connection with this event. In one instance, an infant who consumed formula from a recalled batch tested positive for cereulide and experienced vomiting and diarrhoea but recovered fully.
Luxembourg – no increase in vomiting or diarrhoea among children
In Luxembourg, national authorities reacted immediately following the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) alert regarding contaminated baby formula, according to information provided to Healthy.mt by Jil Klein, Press Attaché at the Ministry of Health and Social Security of the Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
The company ALVA issued a product recall without delay once the alert was published. Identification and confirmation of the affected batches required additional time because laboratory testing was conducted on milk in liquid form, which provides more precise and conclusive results than powdered milk. Although the toxin quantity is the same in both forms, liquid analysis was used to ensure accuracy before final confirmation. Authorities further noted that the only reported case involving an infant who had consumed milk in which the toxin was detected could not be scientifically confirmed as an intoxication, and causality remains unproven. Additionally, the milk in question was not purchased in Luxembourg.
Guidance at national level has focused primarily on coordination with healthcare professionals rather than broad public advisories. The Health Inspection Division of the Health Directorate (Inspection Sanitaire) has remained in continuous contact with hospitals and is in direct communication with them regarding the situation. Hospitals are fully informed and capable of managing such cases. No increase in vomiting or diarrhoea among children has been observed in urgent care services, and no additional measures beyond ongoing monitoring have been considered necessary.
The Health Inspection Division has also been in contact with paediatricians; during these exchanges it was confirmed that the companies concerned had already provided healthcare professionals with all necessary information, making further nationwide communication unnecessary. Healthcare professionals remain in close collaboration with the Health Inspection Division and may request additional information at any time.
For parents, the guidance includes retaining any remaining infant formula if there are concerns, to allow testing of both the product and the child if required. If testing is necessary, stool or vomit samples should be analysed, with urine considered a possible alternative sample.
France – recall website RappelConso
In France, information about the ongoing baby formula withdrawals and recalls is mainly shared through official public recall platforms and government press releases, according to Healthy.mt information from the Press Service of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Food Sovereignty.
The public is directed to the national consumer recall website RappelConso, which publishes a complete and continuously updated list of all recalled infant milk products. The ministry notes that entries on RappelConso can be updated, and when a new version of a recall notice is posted, its republication date replaces the original date.
Alongside the online recall database, the ministry has issued press releases with situation updates and regulatory measures. A release on 22 January 2026 described the status of voluntary withdrawals and recalls of certain batches of infant milk marketed by Nestlé and Lactalis in France, highlighting that the companies themselves initiated these actions.
In December, Nestlé’s internal checks found the toxin cereulide in a batch of infant milk that had not been sold and was produced at a factory in the Netherlands. This led to an initial recall of other batches from the same factory that might also be contaminated.
Further investigation under supervision of the authorities identified the likely source of contamination: an ingredient — an oil rich in arachidonic acid, used for infant development, produced by a supplier in China. This discovery prompted additional recalls from Nestlé and, on 21 January, recalls of Lactalis batches.
On 30 January, the ministry issued another release announcing stricter regulatory measures. Following the international alert linked to cereulide in an ingredient from the same Chinese factory, France decided to apply a lower limit threshold to all French infant formula manufacturers to strengthen national food safety.
Protecting infant health is the absolute priority. France adopted a threshold of 0.014 μg of cereulide per kilogram of body weight, down from the previous 0.03 μg/kg. The old limit was based on the lowest value available in scientific literature from the Dutch public health institute RIVM; the new threshold adds an extra safety margin for infants.
This decision also followed EU-level coordination. On 28 January, a meeting of EU competent authorities was held under the European Commission, and EFSA was urgently consulted. EFSA, whose final conclusions were expected on 2 February, supported the lower threshold based on updated methodological standards and an extra safety factor for infants.
After the announcement, the ministry contacted all infant formula manufacturers in France, requesting immediate compliance with the new limit. Authorities noted that lowering the threshold could lead to additional withdrawals and recalls in the coming days.
The ministry confirmed that its services remain fully mobilised to supervise the situation. The Departmental Directorates responsible for population protection (DDecPP) continue to ensure that affected manufacturers conduct proper risk analyses and implement necessary recalls.
Shops and pharmacies are also inspected to confirm that measures are properly applied.
Slovenia – no confirmed cases
In Slovenia, the Health Inspectorate of the Republic of Slovenia oversees the identification and recall of potentially contaminated infant formula. It receives notifications through the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) and publishes information on recalled products on its official government website.
Guidance for parents and consumers has been issued by the National Institute of Public Health of Slovenia (NIJZ). Public notices explain that several infant formulas, including some for special medical purposes, were recalled due to the possible presence of the emetic toxin cereulide, produced by Bacillus cereus.
Authorities warn that using these products may pose a health risk to infants and advise parents not to use recalled products, instead disposing of them or returning them to the retailer. Parents are encouraged to check whether the formula they use appears on the official recall list published by the Health Inspectorate and to continue feeding only with products not affected by the recall.
As of the latest update, no confirmed cases of infant health problems in Slovenia have been linked to formulas containing cereulide. Health authorities have outlined the potential symptoms of exposure to the toxin.
Gastrointestinal effects, most commonly vomiting, may occur quickly, usually within 30 minutes to six hours after ingestion, and in most cases resolve within 6 to 24 hours. Warning signs include sudden and repeated vomiting, paleness, irritability, reduced responsiveness, and sometimes mild fever or abdominal cramps. Vomiting may cause dehydration.
Parents are advised to seek medical attention if a child’s condition worsens, if vomiting continues, if the child drinks poorly, appears unusually drowsy, or responds less than usual. Authorities note that vomiting alone does not always indicate exposure to contaminated formula, as many viral and bacterial infections can cause similar symptoms. Past consumption of recalled products is not a cause for concern if no symptoms appeared shortly after ingestion, since cereulide-related symptoms usually show up within hours and then subside.
Public health communications also note that Bacillus cereus is a common bacterium in the environment and can produce toxins under certain conditions. The cereulide toxin is heat-stable, so preparing formula with hot water or reheating it does not destroy the toxin.
Slovenian authorities continue to monitor the situation closely in cooperation with the Health Inspectorate and other competent institutions.
Belgium – parents should continue feeding with unaffected products
According to information provided to Healthy.mt by Isabelle Laquiere, Regulatory Expert at the Federal Public Service (FPS) Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment, Belgian food safety authorities have stated that since the first alert they have remained particularly vigilant and are taking all necessary measures to ensure that potentially contaminated products are removed from the market as quickly as possible.
The FAVV/AFSCA publishes continuously updated information on the measures taken, including a national list of recalled infant formula products available on the Belgian market, on its official website.
Guidance for parents and healthcare professionals has been issued at national level by the Federal Public Service Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment, in cooperation with organisations responsible for infant health promotion in Belgium — Kind en Gezin (Flanders) and ONE – Office de la Naissance et de l’Enfance (Wallonia and Brussels).
Official communications to parents emphasise that only specific product batches are affected and provide instructions on how to verify product codes, what steps to take if a recalled formula is found at home, and how to return or dispose of the product safely. Authorities also underline that, in the absence of symptoms, past consumption does not automatically indicate a health risk.
Updates published through government and partner-organisation channels stress that there is no need to change an infant’s diet if the formula in use is not listed among recalled batches, and that parents should continue feeding with unaffected products.
Health communications also outline potential symptoms associated with cereulide exposure — primarily sudden vomiting and gastrointestinal discomfort appearing within a few hours after ingestion — while noting that many common viral or bacterial infections can produce similar symptoms.
Parents are advised to contact a paediatrician or seek medical care if symptoms are severe, persistent, or accompanied by signs of dehydration or unusual lethargy.
Croatia – informing all primary healthcare paediatric practices
According to information provided to Healthy.mt by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Croatia, notifications concerning the specific batches concerned are publicly available via official national institutions, including the State Inspectorate of the Republic of Croatia and the Croatian Agency for Agriculture and Food (HAPIH), both of which maintain dedicated consumer-information pages listing recalled products and related safety notices.
At the national level, authorities have focused strongly on direct communication with healthcare providers in addition to public recall notices.
The Ministry of Health formally requested on 15 January 2026 that the Croatian Health Insurance Institute (HZZO) distribute information about the recall to all primary healthcare paediatric practices through the country’s Central Health Information System.
This measure was intended to ensure that frontline child-health professionals were promptly informed and able to advise parents accordingly. A follow-up letter dated 10 February 2026 reiterated this request and expanded the scope of notification to include not only paediatric practices but also family (general) medicine practices providing healthcare to children up to three years of age.
Finland – affected product batches have been identified
In Finland, the management of the recent infant formula recalls is being coordinated in cooperation with the manufacturer, Nestlé Finland, and national authorities.
According to information provided to Healthy.mt by Mika Varjonen, Senior Specialist at the Finnish Food Authority (Ruokavirasto), affected product batches have been identified, and official information regarding the recalls is published on Nestlé Finland’s website.
At the national level, while no additional special guidance has been formally issued to parents or healthcare professionals, the Finnish Food Authority has shared Nestlé’s recall information through its own website to ensure that consumers and caregivers are aware of the products affected and the recommended actions.
Parents are advised to consult these official resources to check whether any products they have purchased are subject to recall and to follow manufacturer instructions regarding disposal or return.
13.02.2026.
