Nestle recalls baby milk

Nestle, the world’s biggest food and drink company, today said it had recalled baby milk from four European markets after traces of ink were found in the product.

Nestle spokesman Francois-Xavier Perroud said some of the formula had been withdrawn in France, Portugal and Spain, but the largest amount was in Italy, where he said up to two million litres of milk had been recalled.

Earlier, authorities in Italy ordered the confiscation of about 30 million litres of baby milk produced by Nestle, saying it was contaminated by a chemical that leaked from the packaging.

Cristina Attina, an official with forest rangers in Rome, said the investigation began after milk that appeared contaminated was found near Ascoli Piceno, in central Italy.

She said a batch of milk due to expire in September had been contaminated and that rangers were confiscating it from shops, pharmacies and warehouses across the country.

The duties of forest rangers in Italy include overseeing food safety regulations.

The milk was produced in the Netherlands and the packaging was made in Spain, Attina’ said. Nestle’s Italian headquarters in Milan said in a statement that it had withdrawn the milk in question from the Italian market, although it added that the substance – identified as IsopropilThioXantone (ITX) – was not dangerous to health.