Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) has ordered withdrawal of all products of powdered baby milk suspected of bacterial contamination after the French company, Lactalis, notified the issue to the authority last week.

"We have ordered the importing company [JES International] to withdraw all batches of Baby Care 3 and Baby care MF baby milk from the market," Dr Md Khaled Hussain, secretary of the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority told The Daily Star today.

However, he could not say the number of batches of Baby Care 3 and Baby Care MF milk products in the market.

The notice was also advertised in the newspapers, and today the authority wrote letters to all the food safety inspectors throughout the country to monitor the market and ensure that the baby milk of Lactalis is withdrawn, Khaled Hussain said.

Earlier on December 27, the authority had ordered withdrawal of eight batches of baby milk – Baby Care 1 and Baby Care 2.

JES International had withdrawn some 1,000 cartons of Baby Care 1 and Baby Care 2 powder milk marketed in July last year. Some 7,000 cartons, however, had been consumed.

The BFSA had also sealed two go-downs of JES International following the baby milk scandal of Lactalis that ordered withdrawal of 12 million boxes of the powdered milk from 83 countries, including Bangladesh, in a salmonella scandal.

Salmonella can cause severe diarrhoea, stomach cramps, vomiting, and severe dehydration. It can be life-threatening, especially in young children.

So far, 35 cases have been reported in France and another one has been confirmed in Spain.