France's Lactalis recalls baby milk batches due to toxin

French dairy group Lactalis said on Wednesday its nutrition unit was recalling batches of baby milk in 18 countries, due to the presence of a toxin also cited in a recall by Nestle of some batches of infant nutrition products earlier this month.

"Lactalis Nutrition Santé (LNS) is voluntarily recalling six batches of Picot brand infant milk, available in pharmacies and supermarkets, due to the presence of cereulide in an ingredient sourced from a supplier," it said in a statement.

Cereulide, a substance of bacterial origin, may cause diarrhoea and vomiting, the statement said.

A Lactalis spokesperson told Reuters that the recall concerned 18 countries: Australia, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Czech Republic, Ecuador, France, Georgia, Greece, Kuwait, Madagascar, Mexico, Monaco, Spain, Peru, Taiwan and Uzbekistan.

It follows an alert issued by the French professional association for infant nutrition concerning the potential presence of cereulide in an ingredient (omega 6 ARA) sourced from an international supplier and used in the composition of certain infant milks, Lactalis said.

Lactalis, one of the world's largest dairy groups, had already had to proceed to a mass recall of infant formula in 2017 and 2018 after dozens of babies were infected with salmonella after drinking tainted baby formula produced by the company.