Swiss food giant Nestle has acknowledged that it waited days for a health-risk analysis before alerting authorities after detecting a toxin in its baby milk at a Dutch factory.
The company in December recalled batches of its infant formula in 16 European countries after detecting cereulide, a bacterial toxin that can cause diarrhoea and vomiting.
French newspaper Le Monde reported Friday that traces of cereulide were found in late November, 10 days before the first recalls of the product, because the company waited for a "health‑risk analysis" before informing regulators.
The revelation came a day after consumer rights campaign group foodwatch filed a criminal complaint in Paris on behalf of eight families whose babies it says fell ill after consuming contaminated infant formula, claiming companies waited too long to warn the public.
Several companies, including Nestle, Danone and Lactalis, have withdrawn batches of infant formula in the past month over concerns about possible contamination with a toxin cereulide that can cause nausea and vomiting.
Nestle and Danone recalls included products sold in the UK.
Nestle said in a statement online that routine checks at its Dutch plant at the end of November 2025 detected "very low levels" of cereulide after new equipment was installed in a factory.
It said there was no maximum limit for cereulide indicated by regulations.
It halted production and launched further tests, which in early December confirmed minute quantities in products that still had not left the warehouse.
Nestle said it informed Dutch, European and other national authorities on December 10 and began a precautionary recall of all products made since the new equipment was installed - 25 batches across 16 European countries.
The company has said from the start of the affair that the recall stemmed from a "quality issue" and that it had seen no evidence linking its products to illness.
French authorities launched an investigation into the deaths in December and January of two babies who were thought to have drunk possibly contaminated powdered milk.
Nestle said in its statement that "nothing indicates any link between these tragic events in these two instances and the consumption of our products".
Berlin-based non-profit foodwatch, which filed the complaint against infant formula makers, said babies had developed repeated vomiting, diarrhea, fever and abdominal pain, and some required hospitalisation before the recalls.
The complaint calls for a criminal investigation into possible offences by manufacturers and alleged failures by authorities to act promptly. Foodwatch noted "silent withdrawals" in some countries and delays in consumer warnings.