A dose deemed “abnormal” of cereulide toxin was detected in a can of infant milk consumed by an infant who died at the end of December in Angers. If this discovery raises questions about recalled infant milk, the direct link with the child’s death remains, at this stage, to be demonstrated.
An analysis that relaunches the investigation
Analyzes of infant milk consumed by an infant who died in Angers at the end of December revealed the presence of a “radically abnormal” level of cereulide toxin, according to the family’s lawyers, Sophie Lodeho and Pascal Rouiller. The baby, only 27 days old, had consumed this Guigoz brand milk in the hours before his sudden death.
The box of milk was given to investigators by the child’s mother. The results of the expert assessments now confirm that the batch analyzed contained a high concentration of this toxin produced by certain bacteria. However, the lawyers emphasize that it remains to be medically established whether this contamination can explain the mechanism of death.
A case linked to the global recall of infant milk
This tragedy is part of a broader health affair which has shaken the infant milk sector since mid-December. Following an initial recall of numerous batches by Nestlé in around sixty countries for suspected cereulide contamination, other manufacturers such as Danone or Lactalis also carried out product recalls.
In France, three deaths of infants who consumed milk affected by these recalls have been reported, as well as around ten hospitalizations. Two judicial investigations were notably opened, one in Angers after the death of little Isis on December 23, 2025, and the other in Pessac, near Bordeaux, after the death of an infant at the beginning of January.
Cereulide toxin at the heart of health concerns
Cereulide is a toxin produced by certain strains of the bacteria Bacillus cereus. Rare in food, it can cause vomiting, abdominal pain or diarrhea shortly after ingestion. In infants, who are particularly vulnerable, these symptoms can lead to rapid dehydration and sometimes serious complications.
A first link between the consumption of contaminated milk and the presence of this toxin has already been confirmed in an infant hospitalized in Montpellier, whose analyzes revealed cereulide in the stools. If this discovery reinforces the hypothesis of food poisoning in certain cases, the health authorities recall that the exact attributability in each death must be determined by medical and scientific expertise.
Epidemiological and legal investigations are therefore continuing, while affected families await answers on the origin of these contaminations and their potential consequences on the health of infants.