The recalled products. FSAI FSAI

MORE BATCHES OF baby formula have been recalled by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland over concerns that they may contain a toxin that can cause nausea and vomiting.

The FSAI issued the recall for batches of Aptamil and Cow & Gate infant formula and follow-on formula due to the potential presence of cereulide.

It comes after Danone was forced to issue a recall in Ireland of an Aptamil product last month after initially giving assurances it had not been sold in the country.

The product had been distributed to Ireland through online sales via Boots.ie.

The expanded recall now covers six different products across the Aptamil and Cow & Gate brands.

The full list of the latest recalled products and their batch codes and expiry dates is:

The FSAI said this comes after the European Food Safety Authority’s publication on Monday of a recommended acute reference dose for cereulide in infant formula.

It has advised parents and guardians not to feed any more of the recalled products to infants or young children. 

No cases of human illness linked to the affected products have been confirmed to date in Ireland.

The cereulide toxin, which may be in the products, is caused by the bacterium Bacillus cereus. The toxin may be pre-formed in a food and is extremely heat-resistant.

Consumption of foods containing cereulide toxin can lead to nausea and severe vomiting. Symptoms can appear within five hours, the FSAI says. The duration of illness is usually 6 to 24 hours.

If no symptoms are displayed, no further action needs to be taken.

Danone is undertaking a wider recall of infant formula, follow-on formula, and base powder manufactured in Ireland for export to a number of EU countries, the UK and third countries.

The recall in Ireland is an evolving global issue relating to a contaminated raw ingredient which was also implicated in the recent recall of some batches of infant formula and follow-on formula by Nestlé in its SMA product line.

FSAI chief executive Greg Dempsey said the safety of infants and young children is of the “utmost importance” to the body.

“We are in close communication with the infant formula manufacturers and retailers to ensure they are taking all appropriate actions to ensure that any potentially unsafe products are recalled from consumers and no longer on the market,” he said. 

In a statement, a spokesperson for Danone said the food company never compromises on food safety and wants “to reassure all parents that we take this responsibility seriously”. 

“All our baby formulas are produced under strict food safety and quality standards and undergo rigorous checks before leaving our factories,” the spokesperson said. 

They said they have recalled the specified batches of products in Ireland in line with the latest guidance related to cereulide from the FSAI.

“Low levels of cereulide were identified in some specific batches and we have replaced them with new products. All products available for purchase are safe to use,” the spokesperson continued.

“To date there are no confirmed cases of sickness or symptoms linked to our products. If their baby is unwell, we recommend parents speak to their healthcare professional.”

Danone said any parents with questions can contact their careline on 1800 22 1234 (Aptamil) or 1800 570 570 (Cow & Gate).