Employees of the Vienna Market Office carried out 26 priority checks in Vienna on Tuesday and Wednesday alone to test baby food for cereulide. The inspectors found what they were looking for. The toxin was discovered in Danone’s Aptamil and Milumil products at a dose that could be hazardous to health.
According to spokesman Alexander Hengl, the Vienna Market Office has therefore banned the marketing of large quantities of children’s food for the first time. Over 90 different affected batches are now not allowed to be sold. It is not clear how many individual products there are. The list of which batches are affected can be found at the end of the article.
Alexander Hengl on the ban on the sale of baby food
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Alexander Hengl on the ban on the sale of baby food.
The market office recommends that consumers stop using these products and contact the market office hotline if they have any questions. The market office telephone number 4000-8090 is open during the week and on weekends to provide comprehensive information.
Manufacturers must confirm safety
Manufacturers must provide complete proof of safety with laboratory findings before the products can be released again.
“Parents must be able to rely on the fact that children’s food meets the highest safety standards,” said Vienna’s Deputy Mayor Bettina Emmerling (NEOS). Market office director Andreas Kutheil emphasized the priority of health protection, especially for children.
The recall of the affected children’s foods is not limited to Austria. Recalls were also initiated in Germany, Switzerland and France. Since purchases are made across borders, product batches from German retailers are also affected by the Austrian recall.
Raw materials from China are likely to be the cause
Numerous infant formula manufacturers, including Danone and Lactalis in addition to Nestle, have issued infant milk recalls in more than 60 countries since the end of 2025 due to a risk of cereulide contamination. The background is a contaminated oil from a supplier from China that was used as an ingredient in the milk powders.
Cereulide is a toxin produced by bacteria that can cause sudden nausea, vomiting and stomach pain 30 minutes to six hours after ingestion, according to health authorities. The toxin is extremely heat stable. It is not destroyed even by cooking, frying or pasteurization.
