Baby killer Nestlé is back
Nestlé is recalling more than 800 baby food products worldwide – due to possible contamination with the bacterial toxin cereulide. The infant formula products Beba and Alfamino from more than ten factories in around 60 countries are affected. The toxin cereulide can lead to vomiting and diarrhea in babies. In high concentrations, more severe courses of the disease can occur. The recall affects products with certain batch numbers and best-before dates. It is the largest recall in the company's history to date. According to consumer organization foodwatch, Nestlé and the responsible authorities apparently knew about the danger weeks before, but did not inform the public until the beginning of January.
As early as December 9, 2025, Nestlé had reported to the Dutch authorities that contamination had been detected during internal tests. Nevertheless, there was no public recall in either the Netherlands or Germany. On 16 December, the Austrian authorities found the same contamination in product samples of infant formula coming from Germany. It can therefore be assumed that both Nestlé and the authorities in Germany have known since mid-December that German products are also affected. Nevertheless, parents were not warned. It was not until January 5, 2026 that Nestlé began publicly recalling the baby formula.
According to the authorities, the cause of the contamination is a contaminated raw material. But where it came from was initially unclear – Nestlé and the authorities could not trace the origin. European Union law requires complete traceability of raw materials. In the meantime, it has become known that an ingredient (arachidonic acid) was contaminated with the bacterium Bacillus cereus, at a Nestlé supplier. This bacterium can form the heat-stable cereulide. The supplier initially concealed by Nestlé is the Chinese company Cabio Biotech based in Wuhan. In any case, it's a fact that Nestlé itself is responsible for the microbiological safety of the ingredients as well as the end product. Manufacturers should also be regularly inspected by competent authorities and independently audited, which apparently did not happen in the case of Cabio Biotech.
Arachidonic acid (ARA) occurs naturally in breast milk. Industrially produced ARA is approved in the EU as an optional ingredient in infant formula products, but is not one of the mandatory ingredients. It is often added by manufacturers to advertise the product as particularly "similar to breast milk". The high number of contamination outbreaks in baby milk products in recent years illustrates systematic failures in manufacturing, regulatory monitoring, recall systems and crisis communication. Global online advertising and the sale of baby food products through social media exacerbate these problems.
Nestlé downplays the crisis. Allegedly, no diseases or symptoms related to consumption are known so far and the recall is purely a precautionary measure. Reports of illness on social media are simply ignored, even those on Nestlé's own Facebook page. Parents are confused, frightened and shocked that there could be contamination of baby milk products. The delay in the recall, lack of transparency, and robotic AI responses all undermine the credibility of Nestlé's assertions. For the food giant in the sensitive baby food market, the most precious commodity is at stake – the trust of parents. The reputational risk also weighs heavily on the stock market. Since the beginning of the year, the food giant's share price has fallen by 5.57 percent. The baby food division is a part of Nestlé Nutrition and Health Science, which accounts for 16.6% of the company's total sales (101 billion USD in 2024).
The company is repeatedly criticized for poor product safety. In November 2025, Nestlé recalled baby milk in Belgium and Luxembourg due to possible contamination with Cronobacter spp. In addition, foodwatch was able to detect suspected carcinogenic mineral oil residues in Nestlé baby milk products. In the USA, a lawsuit is currently underway against Nestlé for heavy metals in baby food. Baby food contaminated with lead, arsenic or mercury may cause brain and neurodevelopmental damage to children who ate it. According to an analysis by the Swiss organization Public Eye and the International Action Network on Infant Formula (IBFAN), the company adds sugar to its baby food, especially in countries of the Global South. Early administration of sugar in young children increases the risk of numerous chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, which is why the World Health Organization (WHO) explicitly prohibits it in baby food.
The contamination of infant formula with toxin cereulide is far from over. On February 5, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) reported that it has received clinical notifications of infants, around or under one year, developing symptoms, including vomiting and diarrhoea, consistent with cereulide poisoning. There are at least 36 cases with these symptoms in the UK. It was confirmed that these infants consumed the specific brands of infant formula affected, including Nestlé infant formula and follow-on formula, and the Danone infant formula 800g batch coded EXP 31-10-2026.
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