Indonesia orders recall of Nestle infant formula over cereulide toxin concerns

Indonesia’s Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) has ordered PT Nestlé Indonesia to immediately withdraw its S-26 Promil Gold PHPro 1 infant formula from the market following reports of suspected contamination with cereulide toxin in a raw material used in its production.

BPOM said exposure to cereulide toxin can cause serious symptoms, including severe or persistent vomiting, diarrhea, and unusual fatigue, particularly in infants.

The decision follows food safety alerts issued by the European Union’s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) and the International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) over potential cereulide contamination in certain batches of arachidonic acid (ARA) oil, a raw ingredient used in infant formula.

BPOM’s investigation found that infant formula produced by Nestlé Suisse SA at its Konolfingen plant in Switzerland — which was suspected of using the affected raw material — had entered the Indonesian market. The agency tested samples from two batches of the product circulating domestically.

“Laboratory results showed no detectable cereulide toxin in the tested samples,” BPOM said. “However, the recall was ordered as a precautionary measure to prioritize public health protection.”