HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Health has asked the public to suspend the use and trade of several baby formula milk and baby food products made by French dairy giant Lactalis following concerns over salmonella contamination.

After receiving information that eight nutritional products of Lactalis were at risk of infection, the Food Safety Department requested the company that imports these products to determine the quantity imported by Việt Nam and recall the products immediately, Phạm Việt Nga, the department’s deputy head, said.

The import company was also required to report details of the recall to the ministry every day, she said.

Through inspection, the department discovered that eight batches of products susceptible to Salmonella Agona bacteria contamination had been imported into Việt Nam.

Earlier, the International Network of Food Safety Authorities (INFOSAN) warned that some cases of salmonella infection in infants were detected in France.

According to Nga, the department has also notified the customs and State inspection agencies at the border to carry out inspections on these products.

"Besides the at-risk products, we will also check other products to ensure the safety of consumers,” Nga told the online newspaper Vietnamplus.

She also advised families who had used these products for a long time to take their children to nearby health facilities for medical checks in case they show signs of severe abdominal pain, diarrhoea and fever.

France has banned the sale and ordered the recall of several baby milk products of Lactalis globally after discovering 20 cases of salmonella infection in infants in France in early December, Reuters reported.

The recall includes products for export, including those sent to mainland China, Taiwan, Pakistan and Afghanistan, as well as Iraq, Morocco, Lebanon and Sudan, along with Romania, Serbia, Georgia, Greece, Haiti, Colombia and Peru.

Some were also destined for regional markets, including Africa and Asia. — VNS