French report highlights failings in infant formula scandal

Infant formulas: "shortcomings" on the part of the government and manufacturers Keystone-SDA

A French parliamentary report published on Tuesday says the handling of Nestlé’s infant formula scandal exposed “shortcomings” by both the French government and manufacturers, which should be taken into account in any future crises.

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The scandal broke in December 2025 when Swiss-based food giant Nestlé recalled dozens of batches across around 60 countries over fears they could contain cereulide, a toxin that can cause severe vomiting in newborn babies.

The crisis then escalated, with a series of similar recalls by manufacturers including France’s Danone and Lactalis, as well as smaller firms such as Lucerne-based Hochdorf (Bimbosan) and Bordeaux-based Vitagermine (Babybio Optima), which continued until last February.

+ The meltdown at NestléExternal link

What they had in common was a single ingredient – an oil rich in arachidonic acid (ARA) – by the same Chinese supplier.

Families and campaign groups then accused manufacturers of being too slow to launch recalls, and criticised the French government for relying too heavily on their goodwill.

“The infant formula crisis has exposed a number of shortcomings that need to be addressed in future,” the report’s authors said.

“If we look at the timeline, there was clearly a problem,” said Mathilde Hignet, co-author of the report. She told the AFP news agency that after learning on December 24 that the contamination was linked to ARA oil, Nestlé did not inform manufacturers until December 30, and only informed the French authorities on January 5.

Alongside her co-rapporteur, MP Michel Lauzzana of the Renaissance party, she also questioned “how robust the checks carried out by the Chinese supplier were” and criticised the “limited resources of the authorities”, which have led to “growing reliance on manufacturers’ own controls”.

The report asks whether all products containing ARA oil from the Chinese supplier should have been recalled immediately, rather than waiting for test results. It also points to the authorities’ “relatively late” response, noting it took 17 days to inform all health professionals.

To date, the health impact remains unclear. In France, authorities initially reported three deaths among babies who had consumed the recalled milk. However, in two cases, in Angers and Bordeaux, the milk has since been ruled out as the cause.

Looking ahead to future crises, the report’s authors set out 14 recommendations. These include tighter oversight of “added ingredients” such as ARA oil, more independent checks funded by manufacturers, and improved warning procedures when products for children are involved.

Translated from French by AI/sp

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