More red flags over Lactalis milk
• Same salmonella strain that affected babies in 2017 was responsible for some infections in 2005, CE says
French dairy group Lactalis could have been producing salmonella-tainted baby milk since 2005, its CE was quoted as saying on Thursday, adding the growing crisis was likely to cost the company hundreds of millions of euros.
French dairy group Lactalis could have been producing salmonella-tainted baby milk since 2005, its CE was quoted as saying on Thursday.
He said the worsening crisis was likely to cost the company hundreds of millions of euros.
The company has recalled 12-million tins in France and globally after several babies fell ill in 2017 after drinking salmonella-contaminated milk produced at a factory in France.
French authorities have said 38 salmonella agona infections were reported between midAugust and December 2017 and 36 of them were clearly linked to Lactalis milk. A group that represents victims’ families says at least 10 more cases are unaccounted for.
The strain of salmonella was also responsible for some infections in 2005, Lactalis CE Emmanuel Besnier told French business paper Les Echos, adding other infections had possibly occurred since then.
“It cannot be excluded that babies have consumed contaminated milk over this period,” Besnier said, questioning the effectiveness of 16,000 tests performed by an unidentified private laboratory that had revealed nothing.
Besnier said Lactalis was stopping production at one of its facilities at the factory in Craon due to the outbreak. In 2005, the plant was owned by Celia, a company taken over by Lactalis in 2006.
“If the analysis of end products had revealed the presence of Salmonella Agona, we would of course not have marketed the products and we would have avoided the crisis,” Lactalis said.
The victims’ association said it had read Besnier’s comments with dismay.
“These are several hundred million boxes concerned and several hundred thousand tonnes of products sent to more than 80 countries. This is a health scandal of unprecedented scale,” it said. “This implies that the victims could have been much more numerous.”
Besnier said the scandal was “the biggest crisis I’ve ever had to face as a boss. We can’t say definitively but [the cost] will be very high, several hundred million euros,” he told Les Echos.
“This case could cost us our export licence for a still unde-
WE CAN’T SAY DEFINITIVELY BUT [THE COST] WILL BE VERY HIGH, SEVERAL HUNDRED MILLION EUROS
termined period,” he added. Besnier did not give details of what the costs would be.
He said a lot of the milk recalled since early December had been consumed and that returns were likely to amount to less than half of total volumes.
French supermarket chains Leclerc, Auchan, Carrefour and Systeme U have all acknowledged that some of the baby milk remained on their shelves after the recall. The victims association’s lawyer said families intended to file lawsuits against Auchan and Leclerc. Besnier said Lactalis was the target of several legal complaints.