WHO Says Infant-Formula Contamination Recall Reached 99 Countries and Territories
The World Health Organization says infant formula and related products containing cereulide-contaminated arachidonic-acid oil were distributed across 99 countries and territories, prompting continued checks of retail, distribution and online sales channels.
The World Health Organization said on February 25, 2026, that an international contamination event involving infant formula and related products had reached 99 countries and territories. The products contained arachidonic-acid oil contaminated with cereulide toxin, according to the WHO’s multi-country food-safety notice.
The finding expands the practical scope of the recall beyond individual stores or national markets. Regulators, distributors and retailers must determine whether affected batches remain in circulation, including through online sales channels. The WHO said the event has disrupted trade and supply chains and could lead to additional recalls if more affected batches or product categories are identified.
What the WHO reported
The WHO said the event dates back to December 10, 2025. Its February 25 status update said products subject to recall had been distributed across 99 countries and territories.
The contamination involves arachidonic-acid oil used in infant formula and in related products, rather than a finding that all infant formula in those markets is contaminated. The available notice identifies the hazard as cereulide toxin and describes the incident as a multi-country food-safety event.
The source packet does not establish the final number of affected products. It also does not provide separate epidemiological evidence establishing illnesses or deaths connected to the event. Those figures should not be inferred from the geographic reach of the recall.
Why retail and online checks matter
The WHO called for the effectiveness of recalls to be checked at the retail and distribution levels. It specifically included online sales, where a product can remain available outside the physical stores and supply routes initially reviewed by regulators.
That means the response depends not only on manufacturers and national food-safety authorities identifying affected batches, but also on sellers and distributors removing recalled products from the markets they serve. For consumers, the immediate issue is whether products covered by a recall have been removed consistently across stores, warehouses and online listings.
The international distribution footprint also makes coordination important. A product or ingredient can move through cross-border supply chains before a national authority issues or verifies a recall. The WHO’s warning that further affected batches or product categories could be identified means the scope of the response may still change.
What happens next
National food-safety regulators and infant-formula manufacturers are expected to continue recall and verification activity, while retailers, distributors and online sellers check their inventories and listings. The WHO’s stated focus is the effectiveness of those recalls across the supply chain.
The February 25 notice is a status report, not a declaration that the incident has been fully resolved. The supplied record does not include a newer product-specific international recall notice or a final tally of affected products. It therefore supports reporting the confirmed distribution reach—99 countries and territories—but not a broader claim about every product or market in those locations.
For the moment, the central public-health and consumer-protection question is whether recalled products have been removed wherever they were distributed. The continuing checks will determine whether the known recall has reached physical and digital points of sale and whether additional products must be withdrawn.
