Following a product recall initiated by Nestlé over potential contamination risks in 25 mostly European countries, the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) issued a warning against the usage of certain infant formula products manufactured by the Swiss company.
The SFDA stated its warning covers the NAN, Alfamino, S-26 Gold, and S-26 Ultima baby formula brands after Nestlé reported the possible presence of cereulide, a toxin produced by the bacterium Bacillus cereus, which may pose health risks to infants. The Authority has advised consumers not to use the recalled products and to dispose of them immediately.
The SFDA stated that there have been no reports of related illnesses in Saudi Arabia so far, but the measure is part of a precautionary voluntary recall carried out after assessing potential risks. Exposure to such a toxin may cause symptoms such as nausea, repeated vomiting, and abdominal pain.
The SFDA took the necessary measures in coordination with Nestlé to withdraw the products from the market and is directly monitoring the recall.
Quality issues with arachidonic acid oil
Nestlé said it was recalling some batches of its infant nutrition products, due to the possible contamination, Reuters added.
The recall covered batches sold across Europe, as well as in Turkey and Argentina.
After a quality issue was detected in an ingredient from a leading supplier, Nestlé undertook “testing of all arachidonic acid oil and corresponding oil mixes used in the production of its potentially impacted infant nutrition products,” a Nestlé spokesperson said.
With testing complete, Nestlé has recalled affected products and is activating alternative suppliers of arachidonic acid oil, ramping up production at several factories and accelerating the release of unaffected products from distribution centres to maintain supply.
Nestlé, which makes products ranging from KitKat to Nescafe, said late on Monday that no illnesses had been confirmed in connection with the recalled products.
Pressure grows on CEO Navratil
The recall, which began on a smaller scale in December, adds pressure on new Chief Executive Philipp Navratil, who is seeking to revive growth through a portfolio review after a period of management upheaval.
Problems with baby formula can be damaging for companies. Reckitt is exploring options, including a sale, for its Mead Johnson business, which faces hundreds of lawsuits in the US over claims – which it denies – that its infant formula can cause a fatal intestinal illness in premature babies.
Nestlé, whose shares have fallen more than 3 per cent in the last two sessions, controls almost a quarter of the US$92.2 billion global infant nutrition market, according to SkyQuest Technology Group.
Nestlé does not publish sales data, but infant formula is part of its Nutrition and Health Science division, which accounted for 16.6 per cent of total sales of 91.4 billion Swiss francs (US$115.4 billion) in 2024.
Austria’s health ministry said the recall affected more than 800 products from over 10 Nestle factories and was the largest in the company’s history. A Nestlé spokesperson could not verify those figures.
Nestlé published batch numbers for products sold in various countries that should not be consumed and said it was working to minimise supply disruption.
The company said it identified the potential risk at one factory in the Netherlands. Dutch food safety authority NVWA said Nestlé’s investigation showed the contaminated raw material had been used at multiple production sites, including outside the Netherlands.
*(With Reuters)
Follow us on
