Aptamil Recall In UAE: MOCCAE And EDE Withdraw Batch 2026-11-08 Over Bacillus Cereus

Major supermarkets and other retail outlets in the UAE have removed a specific batch of Aptamil Advance 1 POF infant formula from shelves. The product, manufactured by Nutricia Middle East (Danone) for infants from birth to six months, is no longer available at leading points of sale across the country.

The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) and the Emirates Drug Establishment (EDE) confirm that local authorities continue to supervise the case. Regulatory teams are tracking the investigation and overseeing the recall measures to ensure that the affected batch leaves the UAE market wherever it is found.

The batch under recall carries an expiry date of 2026.11.08 and was identified after testing detected traces of Bacillus cereus in one of the production ingredients. This bacterium can generate cereulide, a toxin that may lead to foodborne illness. Reported health impacts include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and other gastrointestinal symptoms.

This UAE action follows Danone’s recall of selected infant formula and follow-on milk batches supplied in the United Kingdom and European Union. According to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI), those products were also assessed for possible contamination with cereulide. The UAE measures therefore align with steps already taken in several European markets.

In coordination with Nutricia Middle East in the UAE, authorities have frozen distribution of all relevant batches held in local warehouses. Distributors are required to keep these stocks on hold, while ongoing procedures aim to clear any remaining quantities from the domestic market, including physical outlets and online platforms, under approved regulatory processes.

The Emirates Drug Establishment has issued a precautionary circular instructing the withdrawal of the affected batch, where present, from pharmacies, supermarkets, other retail locations and healthcare facilities nationwide. This action is being carried out in collaboration with municipal and health regulators across the emirates to ensure unified implementation.

Consumers in the UAE who have already purchased Aptamil Advance 1 POF are urged to examine the expiry date printed on the bottom of the pack. If the product shows the date 2026.11.08, it should not be given to infants. The authorities advise that such packs must be discarded carefully and not resold or reused.

MOCCAE and EDE state that these steps support wider national work to strengthen pharmaceutical and food security systems. The measures highlight the readiness of UAE regulators to act quickly to protect public health through coordinated risk assessment, strict monitoring of supply chains and sustained oversight of both imported and locally distributed infant formula products.

With inputs from WAM