On 7/1, Nestle updated the list of affected markets to over 36 countries, including SMA powdered milk products and follow-on formulas. The company confirmed the recall stems from concerns about Cereulide contamination, a toxin dangerous to young children. While the campaign began on a small scale in 12/2025, its scope officially expanded globally this month.

The incident originated when Nestle identified a quality defect at one supplier. Testing revealed that arachidonic acid (ARA) oil, an essential component in infant nutrition, contained Cereulide toxin. This rare event created a chain reaction, impacting popular brands such as Guigoz and Nidal (France), Beba and Alfamino (Germany), and Nan (China, Russia, Spain).

Nestle stated no confirmed poisoning cases related to the recalled products have been recorded. *Photo: Robin Van Lonkhuisen*

According to the scientific journal *Nature*, Cereulide is a toxic cyclic depsipeptide produced by the bacterium *Bacillus cereus*. The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) warns that Cereulide's most dangerous characteristic is its high heat resistance. Common processing methods like cooking or preparing milk with boiling water cannot neutralize or destroy this toxin.

Upon entering the body, Cereulide stimulates the vagus nerve, transmitting signals to the brain's vomiting center within 1 to 6 hours. Due to infants' immature detoxification functions, the toxin can directly attack cell mitochondria, leading to a risk of acute liver failure or multi-organ complications. Nestle advises parents to watch for symptoms in children such as severe vomiting, diarrhea, or unusual lethargy appearing approximately 30 minutes to 6 hours after consuming the milk.

A Nestle representative confirmed no confirmed cases of poisoning related to the products under warning have been recorded. The company is rapidly transitioning to alternative suppliers to restore production and stabilize supply.

On the afternoon of 7/1, the Vietnam Ministry of Health requested units to cease trading and remove information regarding Nestle Beba and Alfamino milk batches suspected of containing bacterial toxins. The Food Safety Authority sent an urgent official letter to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, requesting a review and strict handling of cases involving the sale of these products on e-commerce platforms. Regulatory agencies also asked Nestle Vietnam to promptly inspect, report on import status, and propose solutions by 10/1/2026. In response, Nestle Vietnam affirmed it has not imported the product batches listed for recall in Europe. The company stressed it has never registered, announced, or traded the Beba and Alfamino brands through any distribution channels in the domestic market.

Regarding the scale of the incident, the Austrian Ministry of Health noted this is a record recall, affecting over 800 product codes from over 10 factories. However, a Nestle spokesperson declined to confirm this figure. The company admitted it had localized the risk to one factory in the Netherlands, but the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) stated that contaminated raw materials had been distributed and used at multiple production facilities outside the country.

Nestle has published a detailed list of affected batches on each market's official website. Consumers should check the batch number printed on the packaging and compare it with the company's announcement. If a product is part of the recall, customers must stop using it immediately and follow the provided instructions.

Binh Minh (According to Reuters, Cleveland Clinic, Nestle)