Nestle recalls infant formula batches around the globe over fears of toxins Azerbaijan not affected while Georgia, Türkiye included

Swiss food giant Nestlé is withdrawing certain batches of its infant nutrition products worldwide — including SMA, BEBA and NAN formulas — after the possible presence of a toxin that can cause nausea and vomiting was identified.

Georgia and Türkiye are among the countries affected, with health authorities in both states issuing recall notices. In Georgia, the National Food Agency said the process is being conducted under its supervision and with oversight from the Ministry of Health, according to Georgian media reports.

According to information provided by Azerbaijan's Food Safety Agency (AFSA) to Baku.Ws, the affected batches have not been imported into the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

"As a precautionary measure, samples have been taken from other product batches manufactured by 'Nestle' and currently on sale in the country, and subjected to examinations for the specified indicator. The public will be informed about the results," the AFSA statement said.

The recall was prompted by a potential risk of the toxin cereulide being present in raw materials sourced from an external supplier. However, the agency stressed that the suspected level is minimal and is not regulated in Georgia or in other countries, including those in the EU, the statement said.

Nestlé first announced the recall of some infant nutrition batches — largely in Europe — on January 7, before expanding the scope to Africa, the Americas and Asia. Countries now included range from Brazil and China to South Africa, as reported by Reuters.

No illnesses have been confirmed in connection with the affected batches. The agency said the substance does not pose a significant health risk and described the recall as a precautionary measure, urging consumers not to use instant powdered milk formulas from the impacted lots.

Nestlé said this week that it tested all arachidonic acid oil and related oil blends used in the production of potentially affected infant nutrition products after a quality issue was detected in an ingredient supplied by a leading provider.

Following the completion of testing, the company recalled the affected products and moved to activate alternative suppliers of arachidonic acid oil. It also increased production at several factories and accelerated the release of unaffected products from distribution centres to maintain supply. Nestlé said it traced the potential risk to one factory in the Netherlands. The Dutch food safety authority, NVWA, later confirmed that Nestlé’s investigation showed the contaminated raw material had been used at multiple production sites, including locations outside the Netherlands.

Nestlé, whose shares have fallen more than 3% over the past two sessions, controls nearly a quarter of the $92.2 billion global infant nutrition market, according to SkyQuest Technology Group. While the company does not publish detailed sales data, infant formula falls under its Nutrition and Health Science division, which accounted for 16.6% of Nestlé’s total sales of 91.4 billion Swiss francs ($115.4 billion) in 2024.

By Nazrin Sadigova