An investigation was opened in December by the Angers prosecutor's office to determine the causes of the death of a 27-day-old girl who died on December 23 at her mother's home, according to prosecutor Éric Bouillard. The infant had consumed Guigoz infant formula 'in the hours preceding its sudden death,' according to lawyers Sophie Lodeho and Pascal Rouiller. ' According to reports, an 'abnormal' dose of cereulide toxin was found in infant formula consumed by an infant who died in late December in Angers.
However, the link between the abnormal cereulide level and the death has not been established, and the exact cause of death remains unknown, according to the investigation. The investigation is still ongoing, analyses are still ongoing, according to prosecutor Éric Bouillard. Cereulide toxin is at the heart of the wave of infant formula recalls since mid-December.
The infant formula affair began in December, with Nestlé first recalling dozens of batches in about sixty countries due to the potential presence of cereulide, a toxin that can cause dangerous vomiting in newborns. Since then, a cascade of similar recalls has occurred worldwide by manufacturers like Danone or Lactalis, as well as smaller players in this growing market. Several judicial investigations are currently underway in France after the death of three infants who had consumed contaminated batches of powder.
In late February, a first link of infant formula poisoning was confirmed in a baby hospitalized in Montpellier (Hérault). The government confirmed the link in the Montpellier case but specified that it does not allow concluding a cause-and-effect relationship. It is unclear how many other infants have been affected by contaminated formula beyond the three deaths and the Montpellier hospitalization mentioned.
The source of the cereulide contamination in the infant formula batches, and how widespread it is across different brands, has not been determined.