The organic brands Popote and Babybio announce the recall of several batches of 1st age infant milk. At issue: the decision of the French authorities to lower the authorized threshold for the cereulide toxin, after health alerts having already led to recalls in more than 60 countries.
A new, stricter health framework
A new recall of infant milk was announced this Monday, February 2 in France. The Popote and Vitagermine brands, which produce Babybio milks, have decided to withdraw several batches from the market following a lowering of the safety threshold concerning the cereulide toxin. This decision follows the announcement by the Ministry of Agriculture on Friday evening to impose a stricter threshold limit for this potentially dangerous toxin on all French manufacturers.
Cereulide is produced by certain bacteria, including
Bacillus cereusand can cause digestive problems such as vomiting or diarrhea. The European Commission has mandated the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which must issue an opinion on the recommended thresholds, in a context of increased vigilance after a series of international recalls.
Popote and Babybio are withdrawing batches that have been compliant so far
In a press release, Popote explains that it is recalling two batches of 1st age infant milk in order to “immediately apply the new European framework”. According to the brand, these products complied with the standards in force until last week, but now exceed the reinforced safety threshold recommended by EFSA. The references concerned are linked to the use of an oil enriched with ARA, from an identified supplier.
For its part, Vitagermine announced the recall of three batches of Babybio 1st age infant milk. The group indicates that it carried out investigations over the weekend to verify the compliance of its products with the new threshold. These checks made it possible to identify batches now deemed non-compliant, although they complied with previous regulations. The two companies specify that their other products, in particular 2nd and 3rd age milks, are not affected.
A Chinese supplier at the heart of suspicion
Several manufacturers point to a Chinese ingredient supplier, Cabio Biotech, specialized in the production of oils rich in omega-6. This oil may have been contaminated with bacteria Bacillus cereuscapable of producing the toxin cereulide. Contacted previously, the Popote brand, which highlights “made in France”, had first mentioned a French supplier before recognizing the Chinese origin of this ingredient.
At this stage, despite two criminal investigations opened in France after the deaths of infants who consumed recalled Nestlé milks, no direct link has been established between the symptoms observed and the milks in question. Health authorities are nevertheless calling for caution, while the list of recalls continues to grow after those of Nestlé, Danone or Lactalis.