A LOCAL pharmacy has reassured the public after a French baby milk manufacturer ordered a global recall of its products over fears of salmonella bacteria contamination.
Lactalis, one of the world’s largest dairy groups, said it was warned by French health authorities that 26 infants had become sick since December 1.
The recall of several baby formula milk and baby food products has affected customers in nations around world, including Britain and Greece in Europe, Morocco and Sudan in Africa, Peru and Colombia in South America and Pakistan, Bangladesh and China in Asia.
Gulf Pharmacy, the company’s supplier in Bahrain, said it imports 18 different products from one of the company’s brands, Celia.
“We have been in constant contact with them (Lactalis), to make sure no contaminated products enter the Bahraini market,” an official told the GDN.
“They sent us a list of batches which they think may have been contaminated, of which we have only received two (containing a total of 1,800 tins).
“We are recalling the two batches, but only as a precautionary measure.
“The products we received were lab-tested both in France and Bahrain, and we are sure of their cleanliness.”
The official said no cases of salmonella bacteria infection caused by using Lactalis products have been reported in the Middle East.
Lactalis said the salmonella outbreak could be traced to an evaporation tower – used to dry out the milk – at a factory in the town of Craon in northwest France.
Spokesman Michel Nalet said “nearly 7,000 tonnes” of production may have been contaminated, but the company could not say how much remains on the market, has been consumed or is in stock.
However, he said on BFM Television, a French news and weather channel, that any salmonella bacteria would be killed by boiling the milk for two minutes.
The baby milk industry was shaken by a huge scare in China in 2008 when local manufacturers were found to be bulking their product with an industrial chemical.
Six babies died and around 300,000 others were made ill. The scare benefited rival companies such as Lactalis and fellow French giant Danone.
In 2013, Danone suffered what turned out to be a false alarm about botulism in its baby milk which did huge damage to its reputation and undermined group profits.
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