WHO says contaminated infant formula reached 99 countries as global recall continues
The World Health Organization said March 13 that recalled infant formula and related nutritional products containing arachidonic-acid oil contaminated with cereulide toxin had reached 99 countries and territories across all six WHO regions.
The international distribution has expanded the reach of a food-safety response involving recalls, product testing, traceability work and risk communication. WHO said the overall public-health risk was moderate, while emphasizing that infants are especially vulnerable and that the full scope of the event is not yet known.
From Jan. 1 through Feb. 25, 2026, countries reported 144 suspected and confirmed cases across 10 countries in three WHO regions. Belgium had eight laboratory-confirmed intoxications linked to implicated products as of Feb. 25.
Those figures should not be read as 144 laboratory-confirmed cases. WHO said countries used different case definitions and surveillance methods, making the reported totals less directly comparable.
How the recall developed
The first recalls began Dec. 10, 2025. The products at issue included infant formula and other nutritional products containing the implicated arachidonic-acid oil, which was contaminated with cereulide toxin.
Cereulide is the specific contaminant identified in the WHO report. The report describes implicated products and recalled batches, but distribution to a country does not mean that every product, batch or brand sold there was contaminated.
WHO said recalled products had moved through 99 countries and territories, creating a cross-border challenge for national food-safety authorities, retailers and supply chains. Officials must determine where implicated batches were sent, while testing and surveillance help establish whether reported illnesses are connected to those products.
The agency said recall effectiveness and product traceability remained uneven. Additional affected batches could still be identified, and the full root cause of the contamination had not been established.
Why the international response matters
Infant formula is a critical product for families who depend on it, and a disruption can have consequences beyond the withdrawal of a single item from store shelves. WHO warned that localized shortages could occur in places where consumers rely heavily on particular products.
The distribution figure also illustrates why national action alone may not be enough. A product or ingredient can cross multiple borders before authorities identify a problem, requiring information to move between governments and food-safety networks.
The response involves WHO, the International Food Safety Authorities Network, national food-safety authorities and the European Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed. These systems support information-sharing, distribution tracing and action on products identified as implicated.
WHO’s moderate risk assessment reflects several factors described in its report: the vulnerability of infants, uncertainty about how widely affected products were distributed and gaps in the detection of cases. The assessment is not a declaration that the event has ended or that all risks have been resolved.
What happens next
Recalls, testing, traceability work and risk communication were still ongoing in WHO’s March 13 notice. Authorities are expected to continue matching implicated batches to distribution records, investigating reported illnesses and communicating with consumers and the food-supply sector.
Investigators also must clarify the contamination’s full cause and scope. WHO said the complete root cause and traceability picture remained under investigation, leaving open the possibility that further affected batches or cases could emerge.
The case total is based on situation data through Feb. 25, while the WHO notice was published March 13. The available report therefore provides a snapshot of an active international recall rather than a final count or a completed investigation.
For consumers, retailers and public-health officials, the practical issue remains identifying the specific products and batches covered by official recall information in each market. The presence of recalled products in 99 countries and territories does not establish that every formula product in those markets is affected, but it does show the scale of the traceability and communication task still facing authorities.
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