Also in Austria

Poison in baby milk: oil from Wuhan could be to blame

In Austria, 33 batches of the BEBA brand are also affected by the recall.(Bild: taka - stock.adobe.com)

The Chinese city of Wuhan has already made headlines during the coronavirus pandemic. In 2019, the first case of COVID-19 infection was reported there, and a few weeks later, the world came to a standstill. One lockdown followed another. Now, the metropolis is once again in the crosshairs of health authorities. The reason: poisoned milk powder in baby food, which also ended up on store shelves in Austria.

At the beginning of the year, Swiss food giant Nestlé launched a major recall campaign in 60 countries because infant milk may contain the toxin cereulide, a poison produced by bacteria. Danone followed suit a few days ago.

The milk powder contains ARA oil—an important omega-6 fatty acid for babies—which could be contaminated with the toxin cereulide. "According to current information, the manufacturer of the affected ARA oil is Cabio Biotech," a spokeswoman for the Swiss Federal Food Safety Authority (BLV) told the Swiss newspaper Tagesanzeiger. And this company is based in Wuhan.

What should consumers in Austria do?

The affected products:

• BEBA expert HA PRE (best before date: 12/2026)
• BEBA supreme PRE (best before date: 05/2027, EAN: 7 61287 226631)
  - were already removed from the shelves by REWE (BILLA, BIPA, Sutterlüty, etc.) on December 24, 2025.
• Anyone who has such a product at home should not use it anymore, but return it. Returns are also possible without a receipt, and the purchase price will be refunded in full.
• If you experience any health problems such as vomiting or diarrhea, it is recommended that you seek medical advice.

The Nestlé consumer service team is available to answer any questions about products and returns:
Phone: [phone] (weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.)
Email: [e-mail]

Investigations into deaths
In addition to the whirlwind of product recalls around the globe, Nestlé is also the subject of an investigation. Authorities are investigating whether the manufacturer's baby food is responsible for two deaths in France at the end of December and beginning of January and the illness of a child in Belgium.

In Austria, 33 batches of the BEBA brand are also affected by the recall.(Bild: taka - stock.adobe.com)

According to the laboratory group Eurofin, infant formula is subject to particularly strict controls. The problem is that standard tests do not screen for cereulide. The Swiss testing company SGS is sounding the alarm: it warns that the toxin, which is extremely dangerous even in tiny quantities, could remain in the end product after standard processing. The focus is particularly on infant and baby food, rice and ready meals, milk powder, high-fat ingredients such as special oils, and powdered and highly processed foods in general.

Deliveries stopped
Nestlé has stopped deliveries from the affected ARA oil supplier. In addition, the company plans to systematically test all ARA oil batches from other suppliers for cereulide and carry out checks during and after production.