UK Mother’s Allegation that Recalled Nestlé Formula Sickened her Baby is Unconfirmed
A mother in the UK is asserting her hospitalized baby contracted meningitis from the consumption of tainted Nestlé infant formula. An association between the child’s illness and Nestlé is not confirmed, but the baby was fed formula from a batch that has been recalled in more than 45 countries.
Nestlé issued the recall on January 6 out of an “abundance of caution” due to the presence of cereulide, a bacterial toxin produced by Bacillus cereus, in arachidonic acid (ARA) oil used in its formula products. The company says the presence of cereulide is uncommon, and that it is working with its oil supplier to conduct a root-cause analysis.
At the time of the recall, no illnesses had been reported in association with the contaminated Nestlé product, and there still have not yet been any cases of foodborne illness officially linked to Nestlé’s recalled formulas. However, on January 17, the mother of a sick three-month-old told SkyNews that her baby fell ill due to being fed the now-recalled SMA infant formula, calling for an investigation into the cause behind her baby’s illness. Her child was diagnosed with meningitis.
Nestlé responded to SkyNews and the mother’s assertions, saying, it is "categoric that there is no link between the recall and meningitis" and that "cereulide does not cause or transmit meningitis.”
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) told SkyNews that it has informed clinicians of the Nestlé recall, and that, at present, there are no confirmed cases of foodborne illness associated with the recalled formula.
Cerulide is typically associated with vomiting, ocurring within 30 minutes to six hours after exposure, and secondary symptoms like diarrhea and lethargy.
Watchdog group FoodWatch alleges that Nestlé and the Dutch authorities knew about the cereulide contamination as early as December 9, but the global recall was not announced by the company until January.
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Recalled formula products were sold in Central and South America; Asia, Oceania, and Africa; and Europe.
Although the current allegation of illness associated with Nestlé formula is unconfirmed, the tainted products were widely distributed and the potential for illness exists. This recall is the most recent high-profile incident raising questions about the safety of infant formula, shortly following a U.S. infant botulism outbreak linked to ByHeart formula.
Update, February 6, 2026: UKHSA is now investigating 36 cases in which patients exhibited symptoms consistent with cereulide toxin poisoning.
