A father whose son needed hospital treatment after being fed a now-recalled batch of Nestle baby formula has told Sky News he wants “answers” after putting his “faith and trust” in the brand.
The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) has said it found cereulide, a toxin that can cause vomiting and diarrhoea, in batches of formula produced by food and drink giant Nestle.
FSA investigators, along with the UK Health Security Agency (HSA), have been looking into more than 60 batches of Nestle SMA formula since they were recalled earlier this month.
At the time of recall, Nestle said it was due to the “potential presence” of the heat-resistant toxin and that the move was out of an “abundance of caution”.
The FSA, when asked by Sky News, did not confirm how many batches their tests had revealed to be affected.
To date, there have been no confirmed links of illness to the recalled batches.
Rhys Edwards’ five-month-old son fell ill soon after the New Year.
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Mr Edwards, who works in construction, said the boy “started vomiting and we were obviously a little bit concerned, but we didn’t think it was anything, just general kids’ stuff.
“And then the next day he started vomiting, full on, all day.”
Mr Edwards took his son to the GP, who sent them to hospital because of concerns about the baby’s blood glucose levels and dehydration.
While at hospital, a relative sent Mr Edwards information about the Nestle recall.
After checking their tins of SMA formula, the family discovered they’d been giving their son one of the affected batches.
Mr Edwards said: “You feel guilty in a way that you’ve given them this stuff that’s potentially got [the toxin] in. It’s horrible.
“As parents, it is bewildering, the massive range of formulas on the shelves. So you pick a brand, and you think, ‘Okay, this brand is going to be great. It’s Nestle.’
“So, you kind of place your faith and your trust in them that all these checks are carried out and that they’ve got quality control procedures in place to prevent things like this from happening.”
The family, who live in Jersey, immediately switched formula, but Mr Edwards says his son’s symptoms continued for several days and he received further hospital treatment again after “struggling to feed”.
Mr Edwards, who has reported his case to Nestle, said his child has “actually slipped a weight percentile” and he wants “answers” and “lessons learnt”.
In a statement, the FSA said that the problem is down to an ingredient in the formula, an oil, provided by a third-party supplier.
It’s a supplier Nestle shares with Danone, which has also recalled one batch of its Aptamil baby formula.
Following the FSA testing, a Nestle spokesperson said the company “moved quickly and decisively to voluntarily issue a recall notice on 5th January 2026.
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“This was due to the possible presence of cereulide in certain products because of an ingredient used in specific batches.
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“We want to reassure everyone that there has been no change to the scope or nature of this recall, and we thank everyone who has got in touch with us for their patience and apologise again that we have had to take this action.”
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Earlier this week, Danone said in a statement that its priority “is to ensure that parents and healthcare professionals can continue to place their trust in the safety and quality of our infant formula products.
“Parents can contact Danone’s careline if they have any questions or concerns.”
