There have recently been a number of recalls issued for infant and follow-on formula products across Europe and further afield.

This is due to the possible presence of a toxin, cereulide, in the batches concerned.

What are infant and follow-on formulas?

Infant formula and follow-on formula are products designed to satisfy the specific nutritional requirements of healthy infants.

Infant formula is food used by infants during the first months of life and satisfying by themselves the nutritional requirements of such infants until the introduction of appropriate complementary feeding.

Follow-on formula is food used by infants when appropriate complementary feeding is introduced and constituting the principal liquid element in a progressively diversified diet of such infants.

What is cereulide?

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) said that cereulide is a toxin produced by some strains of the bacterium Bacillus cereus, which can cause food poisoning.

The toxin may be pre-formed in a food and is extremely heat resistant. 

According to the FSAI, the recent formula recalls are associated with a contaminated raw ingredient.

An ingredient, ARA oil, which was manufactured in China, was contaminated with cereulide and added as an ingredient in base powder used to make infant formula and follow-on formula.

Consumption of foods containing cereulide toxin can lead to nausea and severe vomiting.

Symptoms can appear within five hours.

The duration of illness is usually six to 24 hours, the FSAI said.

What manufacturers have recalled formula?

There has been a series of recalls by manufacturers in recent weeks.

Parents, guardians and care givers are advised not to feed implicated batches to infants or young children. 

Nestlé has recalled batches of various SMA infant and follow-on formula products due to the possible presence of cereulide.

Danone has also recalled specific batches of its infant formula and follow-on formula.

According to the FSAI, these implicated products were manufactured by Danone in Ireland and exported to a number of EU countries, the UK and third countries.

The FSAI said it has been notified by Danone that none of the implicated products have been distributed in Ireland.

French dairy giant Lactalis also recently recalled batches of baby formula.

What has the Irish government said on the issue?

Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill has said that the "safety of infants and food safety remain paramount considerations for my department".

"I have been kept informed of recent matters relating to the recall of certain batches of infant formula and of concerns raised directly with the department, including those conveyed in correspondence and through representative organisations," the minister said.