Nestlé Hong Kong recalls another baby milk formula batch as test samples clear

Nestlé Hong Kong has recalled another batch of baby milk formula over fears of potential bacterial contamination, while the latest government tests found no toxins in the brand’s products currently on sale locally.\nA spokeswoman for Nestlé Hong Kong said on Saturday that the company had added a batch of formula with a best-before date of June 16, 2027, to its recall list first released on Tuesday over cereulide, a toxin derived from the microorganism Bacillus cereus.\n“The batch only had a small amount enter the market,” the spokeswoman said.\nThe latest recalled product is Nan PRO 1 2HMO baby milk formula (800 grams) with the batch number 51670742F2.\nNestlé has been embroiled in a global scare over the potential contamination of certain batches of baby milk formula with a toxin that can cause food poisoning. No cases of babies affected by the toxin had been reported in Hong Kong as of Saturday.\nA spokesman for the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department said on Saturday evening that its Centre for Food Safety had met Nestlé Hong Kong earlier in the day. He said the centre’s test results for sampled formula, both those still on the market and the latest recalled batch, were satisfactory.\n“The Centre for Food Safety has collected samples of powdered infant and young children’s formula from the market for Bacillus cereus testing. The test results so far were satisfactory,” the spokesman said.\nThe centre issued a warning on Tuesday when the Swiss food giant’s Hong Kong unit began recalling 21 batches of milk formula products after similar actions in several European countries.\nNestlé had said it had launched precautionary measures after discovering an ingredient from a supplier, used in the affected batches, could contain a heat-stable substance derived from Bacillus cereus.\nConsuming food contaminated with excessive Bacillus cereus or its heat-stable toxins could lead to symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhoea.\nAs of Thursday, Hong Kong authorities had ruled out 13 out of 14 reports of infants feeling unwell after consuming the affected formulas as unrelated to the toxin. The cause of the 14th case had yet to be determined on Thursday.\nThe Department of Health said it had received 49 inquiries related to the recall, mostly requests for advice on switching to other baby milk formulas.\nNestlé also announced on Saturday that it would set up two customer service centres in Tsim Sha Tsui and Causeway Bay to help refund customers who had to recycle formula.\nIts spokeswoman also said the firm had tripled the number of hotlines – from 23 to 69 – to handle recall-related inquiries.\n