Nestlé launches large baby food recall in Europe

Nestlé: extensive recall campaign of baby food Keystone-SDA

Swiss food and beverage giant Nestlé is recalling batches of baby food in several European countries as a precautionary measure. This appears to be one of the largest product recall campaigns in Nestlé's corporate history.

The products in question could be contaminated with a toxin, the company said

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The well-known brand Beba and special products such as Alfamino are affected. Parents have been asked to stop using the affected foods from certain batches and to return them to the shops. According to the information provided, the recall affects products sold in Germany, Italy, Austria, Spain, Denmark, Sweden and Finland, among others. The company has published public notices in these countries with lists of the affected batches. So far, there are no known cases of illness related to the consumption of the food.

Controls carried out by the authorities in Austria detected small amounts of cereulide – a toxin that causes food poisoning characterised by nausea and vomiting – in two batches. According to the Ministry of Health, however, the concentrations are so low that they do not pose a danger.

+ The meltdown at Nestlé

According to the Austrian authorities, the recall concerns more than 800 products from more than ten factories worldwide. The cause of the problem is said to be a technical cleaning defect in a supplier company, which caused contamination of an ingredient in December.

Nestlé had already initiated a “silent” recall during the Christmas holidays, removing the affected products from the shelves. On Monday, the public recall was triggered. In mid-December Nestlé had already announced preventive recalls of infant formula in several European countries, including France, Finland and Denmark.

In an initial market commentary, analysts at Helvetische Bank spoke of an “unfortunate incident for Nestlé”, but not a serious one: it is considered operationally resolved and manageable from a risk, regulatory and reputational perspective.

On the Zurich stock exchange, Nestlé shares lost more than 2% in the afternoon. Over twelve months the performance remains positive by 3%, while over five years the share price has fallen by 24%.

Adapted from Italian by AI/jdp

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