Fears batches of SMA baby formula may contain toxin that causes vomiting

Nestle has issued a global recall of some of its baby formula products over fears they contain a toxin that causes nausea and vomiting.

The food and drink company said batches of its SMA Infant Formula and Follow-On Formula were not safe for babies.

The milk substitutes may contain cereulide, which is a toxin that can lead to food poisoning symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and abdominal cramps.

The UK Food Standards Agency warned that cereulide is highly heat stable, meaning that it’s unlikely to be destroyed by heating, boiling water, or when making the baby formula.

Nestle stressed there have been no confirmed reports of any illness linked with the recalled products so far.

However they said ‘the safety and wellbeing of babies is our absolute priority’.

The recall notice continued: ‘Consumers who may have these batches should not feed this product to their baby.

‘We sincerely apologise for any concern or inconvenience caused to parents, caregivers, and customers.’

Nestle said the problem was caused by an ingredient provided by one of its suppliers.

It is currently believed that no other Nestle products are affected.

The products were also sold in several European countries, including France, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Italy and Sweden.

Jane Rawling, The FSA’s head of incidents, said the agency was acting urgently to remove the formula from shelves.

She said: ‘I want to reassure parents guardians and caregivers that we are taking urgent action, helping to ensure all the affected product is removed from sale as a precaution.

‘If you have have fed this product to your baby and have any concerns about potential health impact, you should seek advice from healthcare professionals by contacting your GP or calling NHS 111.’

The FSA stressed that you should stop using the affected product even if your baby is not showing signs of illness.

A full list of products and batch codes affected can be found on Nestlé’s UK website, or through food.gov.uk.

To find out whether your product has one of the affected batch numbers, customers are advised to look for the code on the base of the tin or box for powdered formulas.

For ready-to-feed formulas the batch code will be on the base of the outer box or the side or top of the container.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.