The a2 Milk Company has initiated a voluntary recall of three batches of its US-label a2 Platinum infant formula after cereulide was detected in the product. The recall covers approximately 16,428 tins already sold to consumers, with no reported incidents of infant illness.
The a2 Milk Company (a2MC) commenced a voluntary recall on 1 May 2026 of three batches of a2 Platinum USA label infant milk formula, citing the presence of cereulide in the product.
The affected product had already been discontinued and removed from sale before the recall was initiated, with US importation rights having expired on 31 December 2025.
It was distributed through a2MC’s website, Amazon and Meijer stores under Operation Fly Formula, a US Food and Drug Administration enforcement discretion program.
The three batches total 63,078 tins, of which an estimated 16,428 tins had been sold to consumers. The company confirmed that total US infant milk formula sales represented approximately 0.1 per cent of group revenue in the first half of FY26, and the recall is not expected to affect financial results.
The recall was triggered by additional testing conducted following a New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries industry update, released on 15 April 2026, which set out expectations for managing cereulide and applied the requirements retrospectively to New Zealand infant formula manufacturers. a2MC identified an ingredient in the product as the probable source of the toxin.
Cereulide is a heat-stable toxin produced by Bacillus cereus. Where it affects consumers, symptoms typically develop within 30 minutes to six hours of ingestion and most often present as nausea and vomiting, which typically self-resolve within 24 hours. The company said no confirmed incidents of infant illness or harm had been reported.
a2MC is communicating with the US FDA regarding the recall and has issued guidance to US consumers who may have purchased the product.
The company was explicit that the recall is limited to the USA label formulation. The English label a2 Platinum infant formula sold in Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Vietnam and through cross-border channels into China uses a different formulation and ingredient and is unaffected.
