Overview
- EFSA proposed an acute reference dose of 0.014 micrograms per kilogram for cereulide in infants, its first such threshold for the toxin.
- Based on typical intake, EFSA said concentrations above 0.054 micrograms per litre in infant formula and 0.1 micrograms per litre in follow-on formula could warrant withdrawal.
- Any new EU limits would require adoption by the European Commission and member states, with EFSA saying the advice is intended to guide precautionary market removals.
- France tightened its national limit to the same 0.014 micrograms per kilogram and, following the change, Popote and Vitagermine announced new recalls of specific batches.
- The contamination has been traced to ARA oil from a single supplier identified in reports as Cabio Biotech Wuhan, leading Nestlé, Danone and Lactalis to recall products across more than 60 countries as French investigators review two infant deaths with no confirmed link so far.