Nestl\u00e9 and Danone are facing fresh scrutiny over the handling of infant formula contamination after reports published on Tuesday by French, Belgian and Swiss public media questioned the speed of recalls of potentially harmful products.<\/p>\n
The investigation by Radio France, RTBF and RTS said Nestl\u00e9 had delayed alerting European authorities about the presence of cereulide, a toxin that can cause vomiting and diarrhoea and poses particular risks for infants.<\/p>\n
The toxin was detected in an ingredient supplied by China\u2019s CABIO Biotech and used by several infant formula makers, including Nestl\u00e9, Danone and Lactalis. The contamination triggered infant formula recalls in several countries and fuelled concerns among parents.<\/p>\n
A Nestl\u00e9 spokesperson said the investigative reports contained \u201cinaccurate and misleading information\u201d, stressing that the company acted with full transparency and cooperated with the authorities from \u201cday one\u201d.<\/p>\n
The investigation quoted Nestl\u00e9 as saying it had followed a strict process involving assessment, traceability checks and identification of affected products before public recalls were launched.<\/p>\n
Danone did not immediately reply to a request for comment.<\/p>\n
Nestl\u00e9 had previously said it first detected low cereulide levels in product samples in late November but stopped using all mixes containing the supplier\u2019s arachidonic acid oil after contamination was confirmed on December 24.<\/p>\n