A new lawsuit is expected in the case of infant milk potentially contaminated with cereulide: 24 families are targeting authorities and manufacturers in a complaint that is due to be filed on Wednesday, their lawyer said on Tuesday.
This complaint specifically targets "endangering others", failures to provide information to consumers, particularly regarding the effects of cereulide poisoning, and a breach of the general safety obligation, said Nathalie Goutaland, a lawyer specializing in health and food safety law.
The complaint is to be filed on Wednesday with the public health division of the Paris prosecutor's office, she told AFP, confirming information from franceinfo.
It also points to the "continuation of dangerous goods," aggravated deception or unintentional injuries, as well as obstruction of the truth, particularly by the administration and Nestlé, after parents were asked to return suspect milk powders to the manufacturer.
She also criticizes milk manufacturers for not respecting their obligation to adapt to the evolution of scientific knowledge: publications by researchers have long warned against the risks of cereulide in baby milk.
In this vast case of recall of hundreds of batches of potentially contaminated infant milk, which has affected many countries and brands since the end of 2025, including those of the Danone and Nestlé groups, a complaint has already been filed at the end of January in Paris by the association Foodwatch and eight families.
They accuse infant formula manufacturers of delaying recalls of suspect batches, with a delay of more than a month between the first detection of toxin and the expansion of recalls.
Criminal investigations have been opened in Bordeaux and Angers, following the deaths of two infants who consumed recalled Nestlé milk, but they have not established a direct link at this stage.
In early February, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) updated its recommendations regarding the tolerated threshold in preparations of cereulide, a toxin that can cause diarrhea and vomiting.
Produced by certain bacteria, it was detected in an oil rich in arachidonic acid produced by the Chinese industrialist Cabio Biotech, a supplier to several agri-food giants.
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