News Milk
Source of cereulide in baby formula is ARA oil, not dairy
Three major dairy processors have been forced to recall baby food due to a toxic substance, cereulide. Nestlé and Lactalis and Danone have also followed suit in recent days with recalls. The culprit appears to be arachidonic acid oil, or ARA oil, which, according to the French Ministry of Agriculture and the industry, originates from China.
ARA oil is designated as a "novel food" in the Netherlands and is a product produced using fungal cultures and micro-fermentation. It is rich in omega-6 fatty acids and is therefore used in infant formula. It is considered a safe product, provided quality standards are met.
Nestlé was the first to discover the presence of cereulide. This was in December at a factory in the Netherlands. Cereulide is a toxic substance that causes food poisoning and is produced by certain strains of the bacterium Bacillus cereus. The food giant recalled baby food in dozens of countries worldwide. In the Dutch market, certain batches of Little Steps 1 and Alfamino baby food products were recalled as a precaution in collaboration with the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA). A judicial investigation is underway in France into the deaths of two babies and a possible link to Nestlé baby food.
Nestlé says the presence of cereulide in oils is highly unusual, and the company says it is conducting a thorough root cause analysis with the oil supplier. Lactalis also sources the oil from the Chinese supplier in question. Last Wednesday (January 21), Lactalis recalled batches in 18 countries, including France, China, and Mexico. According to Reuters, Singapore's food safety agency recalled a batch of Danone baby formula from Thailand on Saturday after cereulide was found.
The Dutch branch of the European food watchdog, Foodwatch, believes Nestlé acted too late and is demanding clarification on precisely when the contamination was detected and reported. The organization is also urging reform of corporate criminal law so that serious violations "will result in sanctions and fines that will truly deter companies financially."
Linda van Eekeres
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