The case of recalls of infant milk potentially contaminated by the cereulide toxin takes a legal turn with a complaint in Paris from the Foodwatch association and eight families who accuse manufacturers and the government of not having acted in time.
At one month old, Adam, fed Guigoz milk, found himself in intensive care for several weeks, after attacks of diarrhea and vomiting. Five-month-old Amani experienced his share of vomiting and stomach aches for four days, until he stopped drinking his Babybio. Repeated fevers and digestion problems alerted nursery staff and parents of a four-month-old baby fed on Picot 1er age…
Eight families, who make the link between the ailments of their babies and the milk affected by recalls, joined this complaint from the European consumer association, which AFP was able to consult.
Intended for children under 6 months
“The facts are particularly serious since these milks contaminated with cereulide toxin are often intended for infants under six months of age, sometimes premature babies with even more vulnerable immune systems,” the association underlined.
“They were sold around the world by multinational companies who marketed products that put babies at risk to their health. This is against the law, and Foodwatch is determined to demand justice and transparency in this matter,” she continues.
The complaint against
“Manufacturers could not ignore the health safety obligations incumbent upon them. We demand the greatest firmness in this matter which concerns the health of infants,” declared the lawyer for the families and the association, Me François Lafforgue.
Giants and smaller ones involved
Several manufacturers, including the giants Nestlé (Guigoz, Nidal), Danone (Blédilait, Gallia) and Lactalis (Picot), but also smaller players like Vitagermine (Babybio Optima), have carried out recalls of infant milk since December in more than sixty countries, including France, due to a risk of cereulide contamination.
This substance, produced by certain bacteria, is “likely to mainly cause digestive disorders, such as vomiting or diarrhea,” according to the Ministry of Health.
“At this stage, no causal link has been demonstrated between the consumption of the infant milks concerned and the occurrence of symptoms in infants,” he added last Thursday.
An oil made in China
At the center of concern is an oil rich in arachidonic acid (ARA), the source of the potential presence of cereulide, manufactured by the Chinese producer Cabio Biotech.
Foodwatch criticizes milk manufacturers in particular for having delayed between the first alerts issued in December and the recalls, some discreet then more massive until January. The association believes that parents were not sufficiently informed, often too late and in a confusing manner.
Foodwatch estimates that producers could not ignore the risks for babies of leaving their milks on sale, in France and in more than ten European countries, as well as in Australia, Russia, Qatar or Egypt, in the case of Nestlé.
Two separate criminal investigations have already been opened in Angers and Bordeaux after the deaths of two infants who consumed infant milk recalled by Nestlé due to “possible contamination” by a substance of bacterial origin, without “causal link” established for the moment, according to the authorities. The latter are implicated in the complaint for having delayed in acting and for deficiencies in controls.
The minister defends herself
On Wednesday, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Annie Genevard defended her action before parliamentarians, affirming that the procedures had been “very very well respected”. Once the origin of the contamination was “found”, “the alert was made to all manufacturers”, who carried out recalls during the analyses, assured the minister.
The European Health Authority (EFSA) announced on Wednesday that it had been contacted by the European Commission to establish a standard on cereulide in children’s products. She will deliver her opinion on February 2.
