Nestlé Recalls SMA Infant Formula Over Possible Cereulide Toxin

Check your baby's formula tin before the next feed. Nestlé is recalling a broad range of SMA infant milk products because they might contain cereulide, a toxin produced by some strains of the bacterium Bacillus cereus. The catch is that cereulide is highly heat-stable, so the usual reassurance about boiling water doesn't apply here. If you've got an affected pack at home, the advice is blunt: do not feed it to your baby.

What's Affected

• Products: SMA Advanced First Infant Milk, SMA Advanced Follow-On Milk, SMA Anti Reflux, SMA ALFAMINO, SMA First Infant Milk, SMA LITTLE STEPS First Infant Milk, SMA Comfort and SMA Lactose Free
• Pack sizes: Ranging from 70ml ready-to-feed bottles up to 1.2kg tins, depending on the product (400g, 800g and 1.2kg powders, plus 70ml and 200ml liquids)
• Batch codes: Many specific batch codes are affected, not whole product lines
• Best-before dates: Spanning roughly October 2026 through November 2027

This is the important bit: the recall only covers particular batch codes, not every SMA product on the shelf. The full lists of batch codes and matching best-before dates are long, so check the exact codes on your tin against the batch lists on the FSA alert page or via Nestlé before you decide. The batch code and best-before date are usually printed on the base or side of the pack.

What You Should Do

• Don't feed it to your baby. Cereulide can cause nausea, vomiting and abdominal cramps, and because the toxin survives heat, making the feed up with boiling water won't make an affected pack safe.
• Contact Nestlé for a refund. Call Nestlé on 0800 0 81 81 80 or get in touch through their website. They'll arrange a refund for any affected product.
• Already fed some to your baby? If your little one is unwell or you're worried, seek advice from a healthcare professional. Contact your GP or call NHS 111. Babies can become dehydrated quickly with vomiting, so don't sit on it if symptoms appear.
• Your batch isn't on the list? If the code on your tin doesn't match any of the affected batches, that pack is fine to use as normal. This recall is about specific production runs, not SMA as a brand.

Why Heat Doesn't Fix This One

Most parents are taught to make up formula with water that's been boiled and cooled, partly to kill off bacteria. That's good practice, but it works against live bugs, not against a toxin they've already produced. Cereulide is the toxin itself, and it's stubborn enough to shrug off boiling, which is why this recall matters more than a standard bacterial scare. Infant formula is often the only thing a baby is getting, so there's no margin for "it's probably fine". This recall is part of a wider infant-formula cereulide situation in early 2026. If you use formula, keep the FSA alerts page bookmarked and check back.