Lactalis salmonella scare: Ongoing baby milk recall hits 12 million boxes mark

15 Jan 2018 --- French dairy company, Lactalis has pledged to compensate “every family” caught up in the salmonella contamination of its powdered baby milk. The French Government has welcomed the compensation pledge, but a spokesman said a judicial investigation to determine who was responsible would continue.

Lactalis chief executive Emmanuel Besnier told the weekly Journal du Dimanche that the company would “pay damages to every family which has suffered a prejudice.” He did not say how much the damages may amount to.

Last month, FoodIngredientsFirst reported how the company had recalled its formula milk and baby food following the discovery of salmonella cases in babies and after 26 children under the age of six fell ill in France.

The affected Lactalis products have been recalled in France and for export to markets including Europe, Africa, South America and China. The recall covers hundreds of baby milk powder products marketed globally under the Milumel, Picot and Celia brands.

So far a total of 37 cases of infants suffering salmonella after consuming the powder have been reported, 35 in France, one in Spain and another suspected case in Greece. A victims’ association said this was the tip of the iceberg and the authorities were underestimating the number of cases.

Besnier's promise of compensation came two days after Lactalis widened a product recall to cover all infant formula made at its Craon factory, regardless of the manufacture date, in a bid to contain the fallout from a health scare that risks damaging France's strategic agribusiness in overseas markets.

The health scare intensified last week after France's biggest retailers admitted products recalled in December had still found their way onto shelves.

“We cannot guarantee that right now there isn’t a single tin of baby milk left on a shelf in a giant warehouse or in a pharmacy,” the company says. “We think this (further recall) is the strongest guarantee we can give.”

Besnier denied reports that the company had been instructed to withdraw all products and insisted he had suggested the radical move.

Implementing the global recall is likely to be challenging. Privately owned Lactalis exports its baby food products to 83 countries across Europe, Africa and Asia.

The recall involves about 12 million boxes of baby formula.

Friday's recall was the third in a month and Besnier has said the company had acted as quickly and efficiently as possible and denied slowing the process to curb losses.

The recall risks damaging Lactalis in China, a fast-growing market for baby food and dairy products where scares after melamine-tainted baby formula led to the deaths of six children in 2008.

That scandal caused distrust in locally produced infant formula and benefited foreign suppliers such as Nestle, Danone and Lactalis.

By Gaynor Selby