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Nestlé infant formula brands were recalled globally in early 2026 due to the presence of toxic ingredients. A few days later, another news item was published regarding the infant formula brand Aptamil, owned by Danone. Meanwhile, social media posts circulated indicating that Cow & Gate and Nutrilon had issued a global recall, and this is the fact-check we did regarding it.
Social Media Posts :
A post was published stating that all Cow & Gate and Nutrilon baby powder products manufactured in the United Kingdom had been recalled due to containing a toxic and harmful substance. Another post was published stating that Danone had instructed customers to return the purchased Cow & Gate and Nutrilon baby powder to the place of purchase for a refund.
“Dear Parents, be careful when giving baby formula to babies!
The best and most expensive baby formula in the UK is considered to be products like Cow & Gate and Nutrilon, manufactured by the Danone Company. The company recently announced that all of those products have been recalled as they contain toxic and harmful substances for babies. Parents were told to return them to the place where they bought them and get a refund.”
This post was widely shared across Facebook.
Based on the requests to find the credibility of this post, we did a fact-check on this.
Fact Check:
Cow & Gate is a British brand of infant formula and baby nutrition products, currently owned by French multinational company Danone.
Today, Cow & Gate operates alongside other infant nutrition brands such as Aptamil and Nutrilon.
However, there wasn’t any international news report or a statement from Danone that all Cow & Gate infant formula products have been recalled.
However, Irish media reports that the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has stated that Aptamil infant formula produced in Ireland contains ARA oil (arachidonic acid), a toxic substance that causes food poisoning. Despite this, it is reported that Ireland sells this product.
As a result, the baby formula has been recalled. The product and batch that have been recalled is Danone’s Aptamil Infant Formula 800g tub, which can be given from birth, with an expiry date of 2026-10-31. The company points out that the batch of baby formula affected by the ceruelide toxicity issue was sold between May and July 2025.
They confirm that Danone products are safe and fully comply with all relevant safety regulations. Accordingly, due to the current situation regarding food safety, as the food safety authorities are developing their guidelines, as a responsible manufacturer, Danone Private Limited has decided to remove several products from the retail areas of a limited range of infant formula milk powder as, unsafe products. It was stated that this is not a withdrawal of the entire distributed milk powder.
This multinational food manufacturing company produces infant formula under the Aptamil, Nutrilon and Cow & Gate brands at factories in Wexford, Ireland, and Macroom, County Cork.
According to the media reports, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has stated in its recall notice that although the infant formula batch was manufactured in Ireland, it was manufactured for the UK market. However, it has been indirectly distributed to Ireland through online purchases by Irish consumers from the UK via Boots.ie website.
The Irish Food Safety Authority said the products involved in the recall were exported from Ireland to other countries in the European Union, including the United Kingdom.
International media reported that at least three batches of Aptamil infant formula have been recalled in Germany, and that the affected batches were sold between May and July 2025. The expiration date, batch, and time can be found on the back of the package.
But the recall only applies to specific categories identified by authorities and not all Aptamil products globally.
The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) has issued a recall notice, stating that consumers who have purchased the affected batch of Aptamil First Infant Formula 800 g (batch exp 31-10-2026) should stop using it and return it to the store where they purchased it, with or without a receipt, for a full refund.
It was advertised as follows.
Consumer Affairs Authority – Sri Lanka
We also inquired with the Consumer Affairs Authority of Sri Lanka whether there have been any complaints regarding the purchase of baby formula under the above categories in the market, or whether children have been affected by it. The media division of the authority stated that no such complaints have been received. They explained that the Consumer Affairs Authority does not intervene in recalls made through those institutions and that the recalls of those products are carried out through their networks.
Official importer of Cow & Gate products in Sri Lanka
We contacted Darley Butler & Co., Ltd, the official importer and distributor of Cow & Gate products in Sri Lanka. Accordingly, Cow & Gate products are imported to Sri Lanka from Indonesia, but the production process stopped in Sri Lanka in July last year due to a label change, and the new production process resumed last September. Therefore, the recalled batch has not yet been imported to Sri Lanka. They have recalled only the products that have been distributed to Ireland and the UK.
We have also sent an email to Danone Private Company to inquire further about this matter, and we hope to update this article as soon as we receive a response from them.
Cereulide toxins, which are claimed to be included in Nestle, Aptamil and Lactalis
The recall affected not only Danone products, but also several brands of infant formula. On 6 January 2026, Nestlé infant formula was recalled in European countries, and Lactails was also subjected to a recall of infant formula due to contamination with the ingredient ARA oil. This oil is added to infant formula to provide some of the important growth properties found in breast milk.
The FSA has found that ARA oil, a critical ingredient in infant formula, was sourced from a single Chinese supplier and that the contamination occurred in the ARA oil obtained from him. Reports on this are available here, here and here.
The FSAI had stated that cereulide is a toxin produced by certain strains of the bacterium Bacillus cereus and can cause food poisoning.
There have been no reports of infants developing infections or illnesses from using Aptamil infant formula in the affected group.
However, symptoms of cereulide food poisoning can include vomiting and stomach cramps, and the [Food Standards Agency (FSA) says it is difficult to inactivate or destroy it in infant formula by cooking or boiling water.](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2yvx8gnnpo#:~:text=Cereulide is a,Agency (FSA) warned.) Nestlé issued a full advisory statement when it was found that the infant formula products in question were contaminated.
Nestlé had recalled several batches of its SMA infant formula globally as a precaution due to the possibility of the same toxic substance.
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Conclusion :
Our investigation shows that claims that all Cow & Gate and Nutrilon baby formula products manufactured in the UK have been recalled and contain a toxic substance are misleading. The Aptamil First Infant Formula 800g in question is from a batch with an expiry date of 31-10-2026 and was sold in several European countries, such as the UK, Ireland, and Germany, between May and August 2025. However, the safety and health authorities in England confirm that this recall is only for the relevant batch. Darley Butler & Co., Ltd, the official importer and distributor of Cow & Gate products in Sri Lanka, and the Consumer Affairs Authority of Sri Lanka, confirm that this batch in question has not been imported into the country.
Title:Has Cow & Gate infant formula been recalled from all the countries where it has been distributed?
Fact Check By: Fact Crescendo TeamResult: Misleading
