Three Babies Dead: The Infant Formula Packed With "Toxins" Despite Claims It Was "Just Like Breast Milk"

EU: "Contamination Traced to China-Made Oil"
Infant Deaths in France After Consuming Recalled Formula
Certificate Required for Imports of China-Made Ingredients

The European Union (EU) has decided to significantly tighten import controls on a specific ingredient after Chinese-made raw materials were identified as the cause of a contaminated infant formula incident in Europe that led to the deaths of three babies.

According to AFP on the 25th (local time), the EU has strengthened quarantine procedures for related products after confirming that arachidonic acid (ARA) oil, used as a raw material in infant formula, was contaminated with cereulide toxin. Cereulide is a food poisoning toxin that causes symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea.

Yonhap News Agency

The incident was first identified in December last year. After cereulide toxin was detected in infant formula containing this ingredient, major European food companies such as Nestle, Danone, and Lactalis recalled products in about 60 countries worldwide, including several EU member states. The three infant deaths identified so far were found to have occurred in France after the babies consumed recalled formula.

The problematic arachidonic acid oil is an ingredient added during the manufacturing process of infant formula. Arachidonic acid is an omega-6 fatty acid that occurs naturally in breast milk, so it is processed into an oil form and used to make formula more similar in composition to breast milk.

The European Commission stated that Chinese-made arachidonic acid oil had been identified as the source of the contamination. However, the EU did not officially announce any specific company names. Industry sources say that the Chinese company Cabio Biotech has been identified as the supplier of the raw material in question and is under investigation.

Accordingly, the EU has decided that imports of arachidonic acid oil from China will be cleared through customs only if accompanied by an official certificate proving that no cereulide toxin has been detected. In addition, taking into account shipments that have already left China and are en route to Europe, the EU plans to conduct physical inspections on half of all consignments arriving in the EU over the next two months. However, two EU agencies have assessed that the current level of potential exposure to cereulide toxin within Europe is low.

Earlier this month, in response to a question about the incident, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “The Chinese government regards food safety as a very serious matter and will continue to take strong measures to protect consumers’ legitimate rights and interests.”