Nestle's chief executive Philipp Navratil has apologised over the recall in dozens of countries of some batches of the firm's infant nutrition products, a setback which dealt a fresh blow to the Swiss consumer goods giant after a challenging 2025.
"Before I explain the situation in more detail, I first want to apologise sincerely for the worry and disruption this may have caused parents, caregivers and our customers," Navratil said in a video published by the company.
Navratil said all recalls have now been announced.
The CEO added there have been no confirmed cases of illness linked to the products to date.
The recall has put more pressure on the KitKat and Nescafe maker and its new CEO Navratil, who is seeking to revive growth through a portfolio review after management upheavals.
Navratil said that in December the firm confirmed a quality concern at one of its factories in the Netherlands and began a precautionary recall across several European countries where the affected products were sold from the plant in question.
The recall has also put pressure on Nestle's shares.
Nestlé has now recalled nearly 80 batches of the SMA products due to the possible presence of the toxin cereulide. The toxin can cause nausea and vomiting.
The list of recalled products has been significantly widened and now affects batches that may have been imported to Ireland from the UK.
Details of the recalled batches have been published on the Food Safety Authority of Ireland's website, and recall notices will be displayed at point-of-sale.
Parents, guardians and caregivers are being advised not to feed the implicated batches to infants or young children.
The Cereulide toxin is produced by the bacterium Bacillus cereus.
It may be pre-formed in food and is extremely heat resistant.
The FSAI has advised that consumption of foods containing the cereulide toxin can lead to nausea and severe vomiting and symptoms can appear within five hours, with the duration of illness usually between six to 24 hours.
However, it said there has been no confirmed reports of illness due to the consumption of the recalled batches.
Néstle has also advised customers that have purchased the products to contact them via its online form, by sharing a photo of the product and the batch code.
