Swiss authorities are investigating batches of infant formula, following reports of several babies showing symptoms of possible exposure to a toxin.
“Several cases of symptoms in babies have been reported to the authorities in recent days,”the Swiss food safety authority said in a statement sent to AFP.
Investigations are under way “to determine whether there is a link with the consumption of the recalled products”, it said, adding that initial results were expected by the end of the week.
The goal, the statement said, was to “trace the contaminated raw material from a Chinese company through international production and supply chains” and “identify all affected products in Switzerland” in order to “remove them from the market”.
The move follows the recall in dozens of countries of infant formula that could be contaminated by the cereulide toxin, which can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.
Swiss food giant Nestle issued the first recall in December, after detecting the possible presence of cereulide in some of its batches.
In January, it carried out a large-scale recall affecting more than 60 countries, followed by a cascade of similar announcements by other infant formula manufacturers, including Danone and Lactalis.
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Earlier this month, European authorities imposed stricter limits on acceptable levels of cereulide in formula, triggering a new wave of product recalls.
The recall of potentially contaminated infant formula has heaped scrutiny on Chinese firm Cabio Biotech, the supplier of an ingredient used in infant formula which is suspected of being tainted.
Cabio Biotech, whose headquarters are in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, is one of the world’s largest producers of ARA — a fatty acid used primarily in baby formula and food products.
Cereulide was discovered in ARA manufactured by Cabio Biotech.
