Near the headquarters of the Swiss food giant Nestlé in Vevey, Switzerland, November 20, 2024. FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP
Did two infants die as a result of contaminated Guigoz brand formula produced by food giant Nestlé? That is the question surrounding two criminal investigations opened in the French cities of Bordeaux and Angers on Thursday, January 22, to determine the babies' causes of death. Both had consumed infant formula that had been recalled due to the possible presence of the Bacillus cereus bacterium, which can produce a toxin known as cereulide.
The first suspicious death involved a baby born on December 25, 2025, who died on January 8 at the Haut-Lévêque Hospital in Pessac, a suburb of Bordeaux. "Once discharged from the maternity ward, the infant was fed between January 5 and 7, among other things, with Guigoz brand formula that had been recalled for possible contamination by the Bacillus cereus bacterium," said Bordeaux public prosecutor Renaud Gaudeul.
In Angers, the mother of a 27-day-old girl who died on December 23, 2025, contacted investigators on Tuesday to mention a can of Guigoz formula previously given to her baby, the city's prosecutor, Eric Bouillard, said on Thursday evening. "This is a serious lead," but "it is far too early to say it is the main one," Bouillard emphasized, noting that a laboratory had been brought in "urgently." In Gironde, the investigation was assigned to the national police, as well as the departmental directorate for population protection to handle the nutrition aspect, according to the Bordeaux prosecutor's office.
