Second baby death reported in France amid tainted formula crisis

PARIS – The French authorities received a report of a second infant death as a tainted formula crisis engulfing Nestle, Danone and Groupe Lactalis widens.

Both babies drank formula that has been recalled, the French Health Ministry said in a statement late on Jan 22. Judicial inquiries are under way.

No causal link between the deaths and the affected products has been established so far, Health Minister Stephanie Rist told BFM TV on Jan 23.

The prosecutor’s offices in Bordeaux and Angers are investigating the deaths of the two infants, both of whom drank Nestle’s Guigoz formula, Agence France-Presse reported.

The prosecutors did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Bloomberg.

A Nestle representative declined to comment.

Concerns over tainted formula have deepened in recent days as Nestle, Danone and Lactalis recalled products potentially contaminated with a toxin.

Nestle has been the most affected manufacturer, with products pulled from shelves in more than 60 countries.

Lactalis has recalled six batches of Picot brand infant formula in France, due to an issue related to an international supplier that affects 18 countries, including Spain.

Danone removed one of its Dumex Dulac products at the request of Singapore’s food safety regulator.

The Singapore Food Agency also instructed local manufacturer SMC Nutrition to

stop exporting some products

that used the same ingredient.

The agency previously recalled five Nestle products after the Swiss food group disclosed that several brands, including BEBA, SMA and Alfamino, and multiple production sites were affected by the discovery of cereulide in arachidonic acid oil, an ingredient from one of its suppliers.

The French Health Ministry said in an e-mail that while it was not possible to directly detect the toxin cereulide in biological samples, the authorities would be able to find the gene of the Bacillus cereus bacterium that produces the toxin. BLOOMBERG