More baby formula has been urgently recalled over harmful toxin
More pots of baby formula have been recalled after health experts warned they could contain a harmful toxin that can cause food poisoning, following news of a similar recall from Nestlé earlier this month.
A batch of Aptamil baby formula has been recalled by Danone due to the potential presence of cereulide, a highly heat-stable, vomiting-inducing toxin.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) said that the enzymatically synthesised peptide can cause rapid food poisoning symptoms, including abdominal cramps, diarrhoea, and distress.
It may also cause Infants to become lethargic, refuse feeding, or show signs of dehydration, as per Singapore’s Communicable Diseases Agency.
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In a statement, Darren Whitby, head of incidents and resilience at the FSA, said that the agency wanted to make parents, caregivers, and guardians aware that Danone has recalled a batch of Aptamil First Infant Formula.
The contaminated pots contain 800g of baby formula, have a best-before date of 31 October 2026, and were dispersed across the United Kingdom and in other countries.
Boots stated that the isolated product was sold between May and July 2025, and that no other batches have been affected.
“If you have purchased batch 31-10-2026 of Aptamil First Infant Formula 800g, with a best-before date of 31 October 2026, the FSA’s advice is that you should not feed infants or young children with this product,” Whitby said in a statement, as quoted by The Mirror.
“If you have fed this product to a baby and have any concerns about potential health impact, you should seek advice from healthcare professionals by contacting your GP or by calling NHS 111.”
Anyone who purchased one of the affected tubs from Boots can return it to the store they bought it for a full refund, either with our without a receipt.
The Danone recall comes just weeks after Nestlé also confirmed cereulide had been detected in some of its SMA infant formula and follow-on formula.
The company noted that the quality issue was detected in an ingredient provided by a ‘leading suppler’.
Formulas affected in the mass recall included
- 800g cartons of SMA Advanced First Infant Milk, Advanced Follow-on Milk, SMA Comfort, and SMA Anti Reflux.
- SMA First Infant Milk in 800g, 400g, 1.2kg, 200ml, 70ml
- SMA Lactose-free First Infant Milk 400g
- SMA ALFAMINO tubs 400g
- SMA LITTLE STEPS First Infant Milk 800g
All of these products were sold across the globe. Countries affected by the precautionary recall included the UK, France, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Italy and Sweden.
No illnesses have been confirmed in connection with the products involved to date.
It’s understood that the business, which apologised for the health concern, is currently working with UK authorities on the baby formula recall.
For more information and best before dates for each individual products, see the official FSA notice.
Nestlé apologised for the health concern, writing in a statement that the ‘safety and wellbeing’ of babies is the business’ ‘absolute priority’.
Ella Scott