Danone Infant Formula Recalls Expand in UK, Ireland

The U.K., Ireland and the Netherlands joined a wave of European nations issuing recalls of Danone SA infant formula as the French company’s exposure to the contamination crisis deepens.

Some batches of Danone’s Aptamil and Cow & Gate formula brands will be taken off shelves in the U.K. and Ireland, according to statements on Friday from food safety agencies there. Dutch authorities said some Nutrilon products will be pulled over concerns they are contaminated with the toxin cereulide.

It comes after Austria, Germany, France and Switzerland announced recalls—adding up to hundreds of batches—on Thursday. AFP reported that recalls are under way in Romania, Hungary and Poland too.

The recalls are the largest yet for Danone and could be a bigger financial hit than previously expected. Bloomberg Intelligence’s Duncan Fox increased the estimated cost of recalls to €300 million ($355 million) from €50 million.

“Danone’s expanding baby-food recall in Europe now points to a materially larger sales hit than we initially expected,” Fox wrote. “That would bring the hit closer to 1.3% of revenue seen in Nestle’s recall.”

The growing global formula contamination crisis has also ensnared Nestlé SA and Groupe Lactalis. More callbacks were expected after European food safety authorities recommended new lower toxin levels for European nations earlier this week.

‘Precautionary’

Danone began recalling select batches of product in mid-January, starting in Singapore. The company later issued another larger recall following a change in toxin guidance from Irish food safety authorities.

In a statement, Danone said it initiated “a precautionary recall process of specific batches of products on January 23rd and we have implemented additional ingredient controls.” It didn’t specifically mention the latest recalls in the different European countries.

The contamination originated from arachidonic acid oil, which is often added to infant formula. While no company has stated the source of the contamination, the supplier has since been identified as China’s Cabio Biotech Wuhan Co.

Nestlé first discovered the potential contamination of formula batches with cereulide — which causes vomiting and diarrhea — and alerted trade groups in December.

More than 60 countries are now recalling products and French authorities are still investigating a possible link between Nestle’s Guigoz formula and the deaths of two babies. UK health authorities said Thursday that 36 babies may have become ill after consuming contaminated formula. No children have died in the U.K.

While baby formula is a tightly regulated industry, it has faced contamination scares, factory shutdowns and supply shocks in recent years — issues that led to the 2022 US shortage tied to Abbott Laboratories.

U.S. investigators plan to test certain dairy-based ingredients used in a wide variety of baby formulas for spores that can cause infant botulism, in the wake of the ByHeart recall last year that was connected to 51 infant hospitalizations.

Top photo: Bottles of Danone SA Aptamil formula baby milk. Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg.