The Foodwatch NGO denounces the presence of hydrocarbon derivatives in infant formula "sold in France by Nestlé and Danone" and asks for their recall as well as commitments of the two agribusiness giants to make them disappear at the to come up.
"Laboratory tests conducted for Foodwatch reveal the presence of health-damaging mineral oils in powdered baby milk products sold in France by Nestlé and Danone," the consumer protection organization said in a statement on Thursday.
"No detectable traces of aromatic mineral oils", answers Danone
For its part, Danone replied in a statement that the "checks carried out do not reveal any detectable traces of aromatic mineral oils" in the reference of infant milk mentioned by Foodwatch. "We do not use mineral oil compounds in our recipes, we regularly check their possible presence in our products as part of our vigilance plans for several years," added the group that ensures that its "internal standards impose extremely rigorous controls that go beyond the applicable regulations ". Asked by AFP, Nestle had not responded to these accusations in the middle of the afternoon Thursday.
According to Foodwatch, "two of the eight milks purchased in France show an unacceptable contamination of aromatic hydrocarbons of mineral oils, also called MOAH", "potentially carcinogenic, mutagenic and endocrine disrupting" hydrocarbon derivatives present in many packaging including , in inks and adhesives. In addition, Neolac, Hero Baby and Nutrilon products, marketed in Germany and the Netherlands, are also concerned.
The health agency Anses recommended in 2017 to "reduce the contamination of food by mineral oils" and advised packaging manufacturers to review their "manufacturing process" to use raw materials that do not contain.
Foodwatch requests immediate recall of affected products
In October 2015, Foodwatch caused a stir in France by publishing the results of a study showing that 60% of consumer foods tested (rice, cereals, lentils, couscous, pasta), many of which were private labels, were contaminated by these hydrocarbon derivatives. Since then, six French retailers, E. Leclerc, Carrefour, Lidl, Intermarché, System U and Casino, have made commitments to reduce MOAH contamination.
But Foodwatch, which "draws the alarm signal since 2015," denounces a lack of return from health authorities, both French and European, and industrialists. "What we do not understand is that a company like Nestlé does not commit" to remove these contaminants, said at a press conference Karine Jacquemart, Director of Foodwatch France who " demands the immediate recall of the products concerned by this contamination and launches a petition in France, Germany and the Netherlands ".