VICTORIA, Seychelles — The Public Health Authority has announced strengthened border control measures and new pre-importation documentation requirements for infant milk formula following confirmation that the global recall linked to contamination with cereulide toxin produced by certain bacteria has reached Seychelles, with at least one local importer confirmed to have received affected products. The contamination has been traced to arachidonic acid oil used in the manufacture of several infant formula brands by Nestlé, Danone, and Nutricia, and has affected nearly 100 countries worldwide, making it one of the largest international food safety incidents in recent years.
The alert is of direct concern to Seychellois families with infants, as the affected products include widely used brands such as SMA, Aptamil, and Cow and Gate across multiple product types including first infant milk, follow-on milk, comfort formula, and specialist nutrition products. Cereulide toxin can cause vomiting and illness in infants, making prompt identification and removal of affected batches from circulation a matter of urgent public health importance. The PHA has stressed that parents and caregivers are not being discouraged from purchasing infant formula generally but must avoid specific affected batches identified in the recall list.
In response, the PHA is working in close collaboration with the Seychelles Revenue Commission’s Customs Division to implement temporary measures for a period of six months or until the situation stabilises, including enhanced scrutiny of bills of entry across all channels, physical inspection of consignments by Customs and PHA officers where necessary, and the requirement that all importers of infant formula submit supplier invoices and relevant documentation to the PHA Food Control Unit for review and approval before any consignment is cleared. Any infant formula suspected of being from an affected batch will be flagged at the point of entry, whether arriving by sea, air, or courier and postal channels.
The affected batch numbers span a wide range of products including Nestlé SMA First Infant Milk, SMA Advanced First Infant Milk, SMA Follow-on Milk, SMA Comfort, SMA Lactose Free, SMA Little Steps, SMA Alfamino, SMA Gold Prem, and the Nutricia Aptamil range across 800g, 700g, 1.2kg, and pre-measured tablet formats, as well as Danone’s Cow and Gate range including anti-reflux formulations. A full list of affected batch numbers has been published by the PHA, with the batch number normally found printed at the base of the can.
The PHA encouraged members of the public who encounter any of the affected products to notify the Food Control Unit immediately, and confirmed that further updates will be issued as additional information becomes available. Parents who are unsure whether the formula they have purchased falls within an affected batch are advised to check the published list carefully before feeding their infant.
Seychelles’ response to the global infant formula recall demonstrates the PHA’s capacity for rapid regulatory action in collaboration with customs authorities, with the six-month temporary control regime designed to ensure no further contaminated consignments reach local shelves.
