Nestlé, Danone under investigation due to infant formula product recalls

AUSTRIA – Nestlé and Danone are under investigation by prosecutors in Austria over the major recalls of several infant formula products due to cereulide contamination earlier this year.

According to reports from European food consumer rights organisation Foodwatch, the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Vienna has launched a probe into Nestlé, while the Innsbruck prosecutor is investigating Danone.

The investigations follow Foodwatch Austria’s criminal complaint against the two F&B giants, which argues that Danone and Nestlé’s recalls were too late.

The recalls began in December 2025 and continued into January 2026, expanding to more than 800 products in at least 70 countries, Foodwatch said. They were due to the presence of cereulide, a heat-stable toxin produced by Bacillus cereus that can cause severe illness, particularly in younger infants.

Foodwatch’s complaint to Austrian authorities follows a separate criminal complaint filed in France on behalf of eight families whose babies developed severe symptoms that did not resolve with treatment, including vomiting, diarrhoea, fever and abdominal pain.

Consumers across various European countries, including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, Spain and the UK, reported cases of infants with gastrointestinal symptoms following consumption of infant formula products across several brands, according to an assessment by the European Food Safety Authority and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

In its complaint, Foodwatch said recalls weren’t put in place soon enough, with early recalls in Austria carried out ‘silently’ with only limited information available.In a statement, a Nestlé spokesperson said the company was taking the concerns very seriously commenting:

“Ensuring the safety and quality of our products is our highest priority. We continue to cooperate fully with the competent authorities.”

The spokesperson stated that based on currently available information, “no causal link” has been established between the company’s infant formula and the reported symptoms.

“As investigations and legal proceedings are ongoing, we do not comment further on the details of the case,” they added.

Similarly, a spokesperson for Danone emphasised that the company is prioritising food safety: “We have further strengthened our ingredient and production controls and follow all guidance set by relevant food safety authorities. This includes the new guidance that was introduced in relation to cereulide levels earlier this year.”

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