Milk could have been tainted for years, says dairy group

PARIS: French dairy group Lactalis could have been producing salmonella-tainted baby milk since 2005, its chief executive was quoted as saying, adding the growing crisis was likely to cost the company hundreds of millions of euros.

Lactalis has recalled 12 million tins in France and around the world after several babies were taken ill last year after drinking salmonella-contaminated milk produced at a factory in western France.

French authorities have said there were 38 “Salmonella Agona” infections reported between mid-August and December last year, 36 of them clearly linked to Lactalis milk.

The same strain of salmonella was also responsible for some infections in 2005, Lactalis chief executive Emmanuel Besnier told French business paper Les Echos yesterday.

“It can not be excluded that babies have consumed contaminated milk over this period,” Besnier said.

Besnier said Lactalis was stopping production at one of its facilities at the factory in Craon due to the outbreak.