Recall of Nestlé infant formula over toxin: what is happening in the world and in Kazakhstan

Tengrinews.kz – After the global recall of Nestlé infant formula due to contamination with the toxin cereulide, France has launched an investigation into the deaths of two infants who allegedly consumed this product. How has this situation affected Kazakhstan, and how dangerous is this toxin.

What happened

In early January 2026, Nestlé, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of infant formula, announced the recall of large batches of its products after contamination with cereulide was detected — a toxin that can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and severe abdominal pain.

The cause was an incident at one of the company’s facilities in the Netherlands. As a result, Nestlé withdrew infant formula from the markets of more than 60 countries. The company stated that there have been no confirmed cases of illness linked to the recalled products.

However, the situation later gained new resonance. According to Euronews, the authorities in France have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths of two infants who allegedly consumed recalled batches of Nestlé formula. At the same time, France’s Ministry of Health emphasized that a scientifically proven cause-and-effect relationship between the product and the deaths has not yet been established. The company continues to monitor developments and is openly cooperating with the authorities, providing all requested information.

The situation in Kazakhstan

In Kazakhstan, the potentially dangerous batches were recalled as early as the beginning of January. Nestlé announced the recall of a limited number of batches of infant nutrition products available on the country’s market.

This concerns:

• instant dry milk and fermented milk formulas;
• a dry amino acid–based formula for therapeutic dietary nutrition.

Nestlé clarified that the recall applies strictly to a limited number of batches and does not extend to other infant nutrition products of the company sold in Kazakhstan.

The Committee for Sanitary and Epidemiological Control of the Ministry of Healthcare, which we contacted for comment on the current situation, reported that no confirmed cases of illness associated with the consumption of the recalled products have been recorded in Kazakhstan.

What is cereulide and how dangerous is it?

Food safety expert Laura Auteleeva explains that cereulide is an extremely stable bacterial toxin produced by certain strains of the bacterium Bacillus cereus.

It is the main cause of the so-called emetic syndrome — a form of food poisoning that manifests as nausea and profuse vomiting a short time after eating.

“The toxin accumulates in the product even before it is consumed. For this to happen, B. cereus must grow in specific production or storage conditions,” the expert noted.

She added that Kazakhstan has a system of state registration for baby food — a mandatory procedure to confirm the safety of products (powdered formulas, cereals, purées) in accordance with EAEU requirements. However, there is no separate regulation that specifically limits the permissible content of cereulide in food products.

How widespread are cereulide-related problems worldwide?

According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), bacterial toxins, including those from Bacillus cereus, account for 16–20 percent of all foodborne illness outbreaks each year, ranking behind only salmonella and viral infections, Auteleeva noted.

“Accurate statistics are complicated by the fact that mild forms of poisoning often resolve on their own and are not linked to cereulide,” she says.

According to the expert, in the European Union toxins from B. cereus consistently rank among the three most common causes of bacterial foodborne outbreaks. For example, in France, from 2007 to 2014, 140 such outbreaks were recorded, affecting 911 people.

In the United States, according to estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 63,400 cases of illness are registered each year.