Nestle recall: How a dangerous food toxin ended up in baby formula
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The toxin cereulide was found in December when Nestle performed routine safety checks on its products and began issuing recalls.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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A little-known food toxin called cereulide is at the centre of a global safety scare and has led to a wave of infant formula recalls
Though manufacturers said there are no confirmed illnesses linked to the toxin, which can cause food poisoning, the authorities in multiple countries are investigating possible cases.
Here is what to know about cereulide and how it ended up in baby formula.
What is cereulide?
Cereulide is a toxin produced by Bacillus cereus bacterium. It is common in the environment and, when they grow in starchy foods such as rice or pasta, can produce cereulide.
Cereulide is almost impossible to remove from food because it is resistant to both heat and alkalinity, and is too small to be filtered out.
Once detected, the impacted products have to be destroyed and the supplier must thoroughly clean its facilities. This sometimes requires the company to dismantle some of its systems to completely rid them of the bacteria.
Why is cereulide in baby formula?
The recent recalls are due to a cereulide contamination in the ingredient arachidonic acid oil, which is often added to infant formula.
Arachidonic acid oil, often referred to as ARA, is found naturally in breast milk and is crucial for the development of the brain, and the nervous and immune systems. Adults naturally convert fatty acids into ARA, which can also be produced industrially through fermentation.
Formula companies add ARA to their products in order to mimic what children would receive naturally from breast milk. Adding ARA is not mandated by regulators.
How dangerous is this?
Cereulide causes food poisoning symptoms such as nausea, stomach cramps, vomiting and diarrhoea.
In cereulide outbreaks, the incidence of poisoning is usually close to 100 per cent, according to Dr Monika Ehling-Schulz, a microbiologist at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, who co-developed the standard method for detecting and measuring the presence of cereulide.
The toxin is most dangerous for infants, the elderly and the immunocompromised. Most healthy adults can process small traces of cereulide, although in some rare cases, the toxin can cause serious health issues, liver failure and even death.
How was the toxin found in baby formula?
The toxin was found in December
Separately, national food safety authorities and other companies are performing their own tests, leading to additional recalls.
Singapore’s food agency announced a recall of one of Danone’s infant formula products
More than 60 countries are impacted. The US, a major market for many formula makers, is not affected.
How difficult is it to prove cereulide food poisoning?
Proving cereulide food poisoning is often hard. Even though modern lab methods can detect the toxin in food and sometimes in patient samples, clear proof usually requires finding it in both, which rarely happens.
Samples may be missing, levels may be too low, or contamination may occur during food preparation, making the exact cause difficult to confirm.
What do the companies say?
Nestle said there are still no confirmed illnesses related to the impacted products. Chief executive officer Philipp Navratil made a video statement apologising for the worry the recalls have caused parents.
Nestle publicly listed the impacted products and their batch numbers.
Danone blocked a batch of products specifically manufactured for Singapore at the request of the authorities there, but said it had detected no issue with cereulide in any of its products.
What do others say?
A number of national health ministries and food safety agencies are investigating the recalls and possible illnesses related to the infant formula.
The French authorities announced a probe into the death of an infant to determine whether there was any link to recalled products. Poison control centres in France have been contacted by parents whose infants are showing symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhoea, the authorities said.
A public health agency in Brazil also said two babies were ill and began investigating whether the cause was the formula.
Foodwatch, a consumer rights group, criticised how long it took Nestle to issue public warnings and said there should be tougher penalties for companies violating food safety regulations.
What could be the impact of the recalls?
The financial hit is unlikely to be significant for Nestle because the baby formulas affected represent less than 0.5 per cent of its total sales, according to the company.
The reputational damage could be worse, however. Analysts at Jefferies have estimated that the recalls will cost the company US$1.9 billion (S$2.4 billion).
Nestle’s rivals could also face reputational damage as worried parents shun the brands or the companies altogether. Danone’s Dumex brand has sales of around US$140 million, making up around 0.4 per cent of group sales, Jefferies analysts said. BLOOMBERG
