Food safety authorities in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have announced an urgent precautionary recall of select baby formula products manufactured by Nutricia-Danone under the Aptamil and Bebelac brands. The action follows a voluntary notification from the company regarding potential contamination with cereulide, a toxin produced by Bacillus cereus bacteria.
According to the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), exposure to cereulide may result in symptoms appearing within 30 minutes to six hours after consumption. These symptoms include nausea, repeated vomiting, and abdominal pain. While the illness is typically short-term and resolves within 24 hours, infants are considered a highly vulnerable population, making precautionary action critical.
The affected products were manufactured in Poland and the Netherlands and distributed in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Kuwait’s Public Authority for Food and Nutrition stated that the recall decision was based on monitoring and follow-up reports received through the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF).
Authorities confirmed that, as of now, no illnesses have been reported in Saudi Arabia in connection with the recalled batches.
The recall covers multiple batch numbers across various pack sizes, including:
Expiry dates of affected products range from August 2026 to March 2027, depending on the batch.
Parents and caregivers are strongly advised to:
Food safety regulators emphasized that this is a precautionary recall aimed at protecting infant health and maintaining consumer confidence. Further updates may be issued as investigations continue.