By Friederike Heine and Alexander Marrow
BERLIN, Jan 29 (Reuters) – Danone has recalled at least three batches of its Aptamil baby formula in Germany, a letter to a wholesaler showed on Thursday, as the French food producer scrambles to contain a scare over a toxin contamination that started with Nestle products.
In the letter dated January 26, Danone Deutschland asked wholesaler Alliance Healthcare to withdraw some batches of Aptamil produced between May and August 2025. The letter, published by online pharmacy Shop Apotheke, said it believes the wholesaler would have little or no remaining stock given that it had subsequently received deliveries of new products.
Danone had said on Friday that it was recalling specific baby formula batches in targeted markets. It did not specify which brands or countries were affected, or the volume of goods, but has emphasised that it believes its products are safe and comply with all applicable safety regulations.
Danone did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.
Initial product concerns surfaced in December, but escalated in early January when Nestle said it was withdrawing some batches of its infant nutrition products, including SMA, BEBA and NAN formulas, due to possible contamination with a toxin cereulide that can cause nausea and vomiting.
The recalls have affected dozens of countries and since widened to other French producers Lactalis and Vitagermine, threatening combined losses exceeding $1 billion. Danone’s shares have lost almost 13% in the last two weeks.
French investigators are examining whether there is a link between the death of two infants and recalled formula products.
On Thursday, Germany’s Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety said certain batches of Danone products were being withdrawn and that an official recall can only be made when products are known to have reached consumers.
The recalls highlight how a single compromised ingredient can spread through the tightly regulated infant nutrition sector, triggering swift action from regulators and causing rapid market jitters.
Cereulide, a toxin produced by the Bacillus cereus bacteria, was detected in an ingredient sourced from a supplier. France’s agriculture ministry has said the product originated in China, while Ireland’s Food Safety Authority has said cereulide was detected in arachidonic acid oil manufactured in China.
(Reporting by Friederike Heine in Berlin and Alexander Marrow in London;Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)
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