Nestle has issued a global recall of its SMA baby formula and follow-on formula over potential contamination with cereulide bacteria, which can cause persistent vomiting and diarrhea.
The food giant – which also sells Nescafe, Purina pet food and Cheerios – announced Monday it was voluntarily recalling the product “out of an abundance of caution.”
It said it is not aware of any illnesses linked to the products, but it is advising parents not to feed the formula to infants or young children.
The sweeping recall covers infant formula products sold in more than 25 countries across Europe, including the UK, Italy and France.
Affected products were also sold in nearly a dozen regions across South America, Asia and Africa.
Batch numbers for the recalled products can be found on the specific Nestle site for each country.
Nestle said the recall stems from a quality issue with an ingredient from its leading oil supplier.
As a result, some of its infant formula products may be contaminated with cereulide, a heat-resistant toxin that can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or unusual lethargy.
Symptoms typically appear between 30 minutes to six hours after exposure, the company said.
“The presence of cereulide in oils is very uncommon, and Nestlé is working with the supplier, who is conducting a full root-cause analysis,” the company said in a statement.
It advised parents to speak to their pediatrician or healthcare provider if they have any concerns about their children’s health.
Shares in Nestle fell roughly 2% in European trading.
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