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France has reduced the permitted safety level for the cereulide toxin in infant formula following a series of international product recalls.<\/p>\n
Cereulide is a toxin connected to the Bacillus cereus bacterium and can trigger vomiting, abdominal cramps and diarrhoea in infants.<\/p>\n
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France\u2019s move to lower the threshold for cereulide in infant formula sold in the country comes in the wake of international recalls by companies including Nestl\u00e9, Danone and Lactalis.<\/p>\n The toxin has been linked to contaminated arachidonic acid oil sourced from China.<\/p>\n In a statement on Friday (30 January), France\u2019s Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty said the revised threshold will be set at 0.014 micrograms of cereulide per kg of body mass, down from 0.03 micrograms per kg currently.<\/p>\n The ministry said the decision follows work conducted at the European level last week. Europe\u2019s food-safety regulator is preparing to define EU-wide benchmarks for cereulide<\/a> after a request from the bloc.<\/p>\n The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) said it will look to establish an \u201cacute reference dose for cereulide in infants\u201d, as instructed by the European Commission.<\/p>\n At the same time, the EFSA has been asked to provide data on \u201ctypical and higher-end consumption levels\u201d of infant formula as it coordinates a response to the recalls with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), and the EC. EFSA is set to publish its response today.<\/p>\n \u201cThe ministry\u2019s services immediately contacted all manufacturers of infant formula present on the national territory to ask them to comply without delay with this new threshold,\u201d France\u2019s Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty said.<\/p>\n The lower French threshold is expected to result in additional withdrawals and recalls in the near term, it added.<\/p>\n Nestl\u00e9 initiated its recall<\/a> in Europe in December after the detection of the Bacillus cereus bacteria in some of its infant-formula products.<\/p>\n It was then expanded worldwide<\/a> early in January after Nestl\u00e9 identified the presence of the cereulide toxin in an ingredient from an external supplier \u2013 arachidonic acid (ARA) oil, which was later linked to a source in China.<\/p>\n On Thursday, Nestl\u00e9\u00a0said<\/a> it had detected \u201cvery low levels\u201d of the toxin cereulide in formula samples at the end of November \u2013 ten days before informing local authorities.<\/p>\n French peers Lactalis and Danone recalled products last month<\/a>, along with a host of smaller baby formula producers.<\/p>\n European consumer advocacy group Foodwatch has filed a legal complaint in Paris alongside eight families against a group of infant-formula manufacturers.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, French prosecutors in Angers and Bordeaux have launched investigations<\/a> after receiving reports that two infants had died from the consumption of the Nestl\u00e9 formulas in question.<\/p>\n \u201cTo our knowledge, based on information we have to date, no illnesses have been confirmed in connection with the products involved in the recall,\u201d a Nestl\u00e9 spokesperson said at the time.<\/p>\n Privately owned Lactalis has issued a recall for certain batches of its Picot infant formula encompassing 18 countries.<\/p>\n
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