The member states of the European Union have decided this Friday to set new maximum permitted levels of cereulide, a toxin of bacterial origin, in formula milk and other food products intended for infants, following the contamination episode that led to the withdrawal of numerous batches from the community market between December 2025 and April 2026.
The initiative, driven by the European Commission and backed by the EU countries, aims to strengthen the protection of these foods through permanent criteria that facilitate control of the presence of this substance in both powdered preparations and liquid formats.
In particular, the new rules will apply to infant formulas, follow-on milks, and products intended for babies with specific medical needs, after cereulide was detected in arachidonic acid oil imported from China and used as a component in its manufacturing, a toxin generated by certain bacteria whose appearance in food is associated with failures in production stages.
As the Community Executive has explained, safety limits have been established based on a scientific assessment by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), with the aim of reducing the risk that contaminated children’s products are placed on the market again.
Once the new regulation enters into force, 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union, these requirements will serve as a reference both for the checks that must be carried out by manufacturers and other food operators and for inspections by the competent authorities.