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France has said it will impose stricter limits on the acceptable level of a toxin called cereulide in infant formula after potentially contaminated products were recalled in over 60 countries.
The infant formula industry has been rocked by several firms recalling batches that could be contaminated with cereulide, which can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea.
French authorities launched an investigation into the deaths in December and January of two babies who were thought to have drunk possibly contaminated powdered milk.
At this stage investigators have not established a direct link between the symptoms and the milk consumed.
The recalls have raised fresh questions about food safety challenges in the global supply chain.
There is no established safety limit for cereulide in infant formula.
“Protecting the health of infants is the top priority for health authorities,” the French agriculture ministry said late Friday.
The new threshold will be 0.014 micrograms of cereulide per kilogram of body weight, compared to 0.03 micrograms currently, it said.
This is the second lowering of a threshold in France in less than two weeks.
The recall of potentially contaminated infant formula has heaped scrutiny on Chinese firm Cabio Biotech, the supplier of an ingredient used in infant formula which is suspected of being tainted.
Headquartered in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, Cabio Biotech is one of the world’s largest producers of ARA, a fatty acid used primarily in baby formula and food products.
The French authorities have referred to a single “Chinese supplier” without naming it.
This week the European Commission asked the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to establish a standard for cereulide in children’s products.
It will issue an opinion on February 2.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said it had received reports of diarrhoea cases in infants following consumption of the products in question, but “no severe cases have been reported”.
