Swiss food giant Nestlé apologises after biggest baby formula recall in its history

Nestlé CEO apologises in video for baby food recall Keystone-SDA

Swiss food and beverage giant Nestlé’s CEO Philipp Navratil has issued an apology to parents and carers in a video message following the large-scale recall of baby food, acknowledging the uncertainty it has caused.

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The recalls were announced progressively across affected countries in line with official guidelines and are now complete.

The recall was triggered by a quality issue with a raw ingredient from a supplier, discovered at a factory in the Netherlands in December, Navratil said in a video posted on Nestlé’s website. The company then halted sales of the affected products and, working with the authorities, launched voluntary recalls in several European countries. These were expanded to all affected markets at the start of January.

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Navratil stressed that no cases of illness linked to the products have been confirmed so far. He also said that ensuring product safety remains the company’s top priority.

Nestlé has recalled batches of infant formula in around 60 countries as a precaution, in what is the biggest recall in the company’s history. The move, which became public last week, follows concerns the products could be contaminated with a toxic substance. Popular brands such as Beba and specialist formulas including Alfamino are among those affected. Parents have been urged to stop using certain batches and return them to shops.

Authorities say the contamination was caused by a cleaning defect at a supplier’s factory, which affected an oil used as an ingredient. The heat-resistant toxin, cereulide can cause nausea and vomiting.

Nestlé said the recalled batches of infant formula make up well under 0.5% of its annual sales and the financial impact is not expected to be significant. However, analysts warn that concerns over product and brand safety could hit sales, with rivals such as Danone likely to benefit.

Translated from German by AI/sp

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