Nestlé Ghana infant formula not affected by international recall

Nestlé Ghana has assured consumers that all infant formula products sold in the country are safe and not affected by the voluntary recall announced in some foreign markets over contamination concerns.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the company said infant formula sold by Nestlé Ghana was not part of the recall or withdrawal of specific batches of products in other countries.

“We would like to clarify that Infant Formula sold by Nestlé Ghana is not part of the voluntary and precautionary recall or withdrawal of specific batches of infant formula announced in some countries,” the statement said.

Nestlé Ghana stressed that all infant formula products it sells locally are officially registered with the Food and Drugs Authority and are unaffected by the recall.

“We want to emphasise that the Nestlé Infant Formula products sold by Nestlé Ghana and officially registered with the Food and Drugs Authority are not affected by this recall or withdrawal,” it added.

The company further reassured parents and caregivers that all SMA and NAN product ranges distributed in Ghana are safe for consumption. These include SMA Gold 1, SMA Gold 2 and SMA Gold 3, as well as NAN Optipro 1, NAN Optipro 2 and NAN Optipro 3.

“The safety and quality of our products, and the health of babies, are our top priorities,” Nestlé Ghana said.

The clarification follows reports that Nestlé had recalled specific batches of infant formula in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Northern Ireland over concerns that they could contain cereulide, a toxin that can cause food poisoning symptoms such as nausea and vomiting.

Nestlé said the affected batches were recalled out of an abundance of caution, even though there had been no confirmed reports of illness linked to the products. “The safety and wellbeing of babies is our absolute priority,” the company said in an earlier statement, adding that it sincerely apologised for any concern or inconvenience caused to parents, caregivers and customers.

The Food Standards Agency in the UK warned that cereulide is not destroyed by cooking or boiling water and advised parents and caregivers not to feed infants the affected products. Health authorities in those countries also urged anyone with concerns to seek medical advice.

Nestlé Ghana, however, maintained that none of the affected batches are sold on the Ghanaian market and encouraged consumers with questions to contact the company directly via corporate.affair@gh.nestle.com.