LONDON, Jan 7 (Reuters) – Nestle’s recall of some batches of infant nutrition products has widened beyond Europe to the Americas and Asia, including China and Brazil, a tally from the company and national health ministry statements show.
No illnesses have yet been confirmed in connection with the batches of SMA, BEBA, NAN and Alfamino formula which Nestle has recalled due to possible contamination with cereulide, a toxin that can cause nausea and vomiting.
At least 37 countries, including most European states, as well as Australia, Brazil, China and Mexico, have issued health warnings over the infant formulas possibly being contaminated.
The recall piles more pressure on the KitKat and Nescafe maker and its new CEO Philipp Navratil, who is seeking to revive growth through a portfolio review after management upheavals, with Nestle’s shares down around 4.5% so far this week.
Brazil’s health ministry said on Wednesday that the Nestle recall was a preventative measure after the toxin had been detected in products originating in the Netherlands.
Nestle Australia said the batches recalled there had been manufactured in Switzerland, while Nestle China said it was recalling formula batches imported from Europe.
Austria’s health ministry said on Tuesday the recall affected more than 800 products from over 10 factories and was the largest in Nestle’s history. A Nestle spokesperson could not verify this.
Nestle said on Tuesday it had tested all arachidonic acid oil and corresponding oil mixes used in the production of its potentially impacted infant nutrition products after a quality issue was detected in an ingredient from a leading supplier.
It is now ramping up production and activating alternative suppliers of the acid oil to maintain supply.
(Reporting by Alexander Marrow in London and Igor Sodre in Sao Paulo; Editing by Alexander Smith)
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