Yes, there is a baby formula shortage in 2026. A contaminated ARA oil supplier triggered recalls across 60+ countries affecting Nestle, Danone, and Lactalis brands. Simultaneously, ByHeart recalled every can it had ever produced following a Clostridium botulinum outbreak that hospitalised 48 infants.
EU organic formula brands including Holle, Kendamil, Jovie, and Pure Goat were not affected by either recall and remain available. They were not caught up in these crises because they use shorter, more traceable supply chains and do not source from the same global ingredient suppliers as the major conventional brands.
This is not 2022. There is no single plant shutdown, no catastrophic gap in domestic production. The 2026 formula shortage is something different and in some ways more alarming. It is a supply chain crisis caused by the concentration of global ingredient sourcing into too few suppliers, and the dependence of too many major formula brands on the same upstream inputs.
Understanding what happened, and why certain brands were affected while others were not, is the most useful thing you can do right now as a parent trying to find formula on a shelf.
What happened: the cereulide recall
In late November 2025, Nestle's quality monitoring team detected something unusual during routine testing at their Nunspeet plant in the Netherlands. The substance was cereulide - a heat-stable toxin produced by certain strains of the bacterium Bacillus cereus. It had entered the formula through a contaminated batch of ARA oil - arachidonic acid oil - sourced from a third-party supplier.
ARA is a long-chain fatty acid added to infant formula alongside DHA to more closely approximate the fatty acid profile of breast milk. It is in most premium formulas globally. And because it is supplied by a small number of specialist manufacturers, a contamination event at one supplier has a cascading effect across the entire industry.
Nestle initially recalled products in 16 countries in December 2025. By January 2026, the recall had expanded to 60+ countries, 800+ products, and 10+ Nestle factories. Then Danone recalled batches of Aptamil. Then Lactalis recalled six lots of Picot formula across 18 countries. Then Hochdorf followed. Nestle ran 24-hour production shifts to try to avert shortages. French authorities opened investigations into five companies. A baby's death in France was linked to contaminated Guigoz formula. Two infants in Brazil were confirmed ill. Singapore confirmed a case with mild symptoms.
Cereulide is a toxin that disrupts mitochondria - the energy-producing structures in cells. It causes nausea, vomiting, and abdominal cramps, typically within five hours of consumption. What makes it particularly concerning in infant formula is that it is heat-stable: it cannot be destroyed by boiling water or standard formula preparation. A baby drinking contaminated formula will not be protected by how the formula is made up.
Cereulide was not regulated in infant formula before this recall. No EU or US maximum limit existed. The absence of a regulatory threshold meant that different manufacturers applied different internal thresholds - and the public did not know a recall was needed until weeks after contamination was first detected.
"Why did we only find out in January 2026 that 60 countries were ultimately affected, when there were only nine in December?"
Nicole van Gemert, Director of FoodWatch Netherlands, January 2026Then came ByHeart
Simultaneously, the ByHeart recall was still unfolding. In November 2025, ByHeart recalled all of its infant formula after Clostridium botulinum was confirmed in its organic whole milk supply chain. 48 infants were hospitalised across 19 states. The outbreak was subsequently declared over by the FDA in February 2026 - but the recall of all ByHeart products remained in place. The FDA also committed to testing formula ingredients for botulism as a direct result.
ByHeart had been one of the most trusted names in the US clean-label formula market. Its absence from shelves removed one of the few US options that parents researching ingredients had concluded was worth buying. Those parents are now looking for alternatives.
Why the biggest brands were the most vulnerable
The pattern that emerges from both the cereulide recall and the ByHeart situation is the same one that emerged from the 2022 Abbott shutdown: scale and concentration create fragility.
Nestle, Danone, and Lactalis are the three largest formula manufacturers in the world. Their scale means they source ingredients globally from large specialist suppliers. When a single ARA oil supplier has a contamination event, it does not affect one brand. It affects every brand that used that supplier. And because those brands collectively represent the majority of formula sold in dozens of countries, the supply impact is immediate and global.
ARA oil for infant formula is produced commercially by a small number of specialist manufacturers globally. DSM-Firmenich, one of the largest, publicly stated its products were unaffected by the recall. The contamination traced to a different supplier - one whose products were used by multiple manufacturers simultaneously. This is not unusual in global food ingredient supply chains. It is exactly what makes them fragile. When one node fails, every brand connected to that node fails with it.
Which brands were not affected
Holle, Kendamil, Jovie, and Pure Goat - the four formulas we recommend - were not affected by either recall. This was not luck. It reflects a genuinely different supply chain structure.
EU-certified organic formulas operate within a regulatory framework that requires ingredient traceability back through the supply chain. They tend to source from fewer, more local, more auditable suppliers. They are produced at smaller facilities with smaller output, meaning a contamination event at one point does not cascade across 800 products in 60 countries.
The cereulide recall affected Nestle, Danone, Lactalis, and Hochdorf. It did not affect Holle, Kendamil, HiPP, Jovie, or Pure Goat. The ByHeart recall affected ByHeart. It did not affect any EU-manufactured formula. This is not a coincidence. It is the structural difference between globalised ingredient sourcing and shorter, more auditable supply chains.
| Brand | Recall status | Currently available | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nestle SMA, Beba, Guigoz, Alfamino | Recalled | Limited | Cereulide contamination (ARA oil). Production resuming. Specific batches recalled. Check batch codes. |
| Danone Aptamil First Infant Formula (Stage 1, 800g) | Recalled | Limited | Cereulide contamination (ARA oil). Recalled January 26, 2026. Batch code 31-10-2026, best before 31 October 2026. Sold in the UK and through Boots.ie in Ireland. Not confirmed in the US market. If you have this batch, do not use it. Return to retailer for full refund, no receipt required. |
| Danone Cow & Gate, Nutrilon | Recalled | Limited | Cereulide contamination (ARA oil). Selected markets affected. UK, Germany, Ireland most impacted. |
| Lactalis Picot | Recalled | Limited | Cereulide contamination (ARA oil). 6 lots across 18 countries recalled. |
| ByHeart Whole Nutrition | Full recall | Not available | Clostridium botulinum (separate incident from cereulide). All ByHeart products recalled regardless of batch or test results. Outbreak declared over by CDC and FDA on February 26, 2026, but recall remains in force. Company is not currently shipping and has no announced return-to-market date. ByHeart is developing new safety protocols and an independent Food Safety Council ahead of any future relaunch. |
| Holle Goat Dutch Stage 1 | Not affected | Available | Demeter biodynamic. Not involved in either recall. |
| Kendamil Organic Stage 1 | Not affected | Available | UK manufactured. Not involved in either recall. |
| Jovie Goat Stage 1 | Not affected | Available | Dutch manufactured. Not involved in either recall. |
| Pure Goat Stage 1 | Not affected | Available | UK manufactured. Not involved in either recall. |
Why EU formula is structurally more resilient
There is a reason European formula brands were not caught up in either the cereulide or the botulinum supply chain crises. It is not that European supply chains are immune to contamination - no supply chain is. It is that EU organic certification requires a fundamentally different approach to ingredient sourcing.
Under EU organic regulation, every ingredient in a certified organic formula must be traceable back through the supply chain to its origin. This creates accountability at every step. A contamination event at an ingredient supplier is detectable earlier, contained more quickly, and affects fewer downstream products because the sourcing network is smaller and more controlled.
Compare this to the Nestle recall: the contaminated ARA oil was distributed to manufacturers across multiple countries, in products sold to 60+ markets, and was not publicly disclosed for weeks after it was internally detected. Each step in that chain added opacity and delay. EU organic certification works precisely against that kind of opacity.
There is also a scale argument. Holle, Kendamil, Jovie, and Pure Goat are not the size of Nestle or Danone. Their supply chains are shorter, their sourcing relationships are fewer, and their manufacturing is more contained. A contamination event at one node does not cascade into a 60-country recall.
When will the formula shortage end?
The honest answer is that it depends on which shortage you mean. The cereulide recall affecting Nestle, Danone, and Lactalis is already partly resolved, with production resumed and specific recalled batches have been withdrawn. Most markets are seeing gradual restocking through spring 2026. However, full normalisation varies by brand and region. Nestle has confirmed it ran 24-hour production shifts to rebuild supply, but the scale of the recall means some products will remain limited into mid-2026.
The ByHeart shortage has no clear end date. All ByHeart products remain recalled as of April 2026. The FDA declared the botulinum outbreak over in February 2026 but the product recall remains in force. There is no announced timeline for ByHeart returning to market.
For parents relying on recalled brands, the practical answer is to switch to an unaffected formula now rather than wait for restocking. The EU organic brands that were not affected by either recall are available through specialist importers and online retailers with reliable stock.
What should parents do during the formula shortage?
The stress of formula shortage is real and the exhaustion of checking stores, refreshing websites, and texting other parents is not talked about enough. Here is what actually helps.
- ♥Check whether your brand was recalled first. Not all formulas are affected. Nestle SMA, Beba, Aptamil, Cow and Gate, Nutrilon, Picot, and all ByHeart products are affected. Holle, Kendamil, Jovie, Pure Goat, and HiPP were not.
- ♥Talk to your paediatrician before switching formulas. Even moving between similar formulas can affect sensitive babies. A doctor can help you choose the safest alternative.
- ♥EU organic brands are reliably available. Holle, Kendamil, Jovie, and Pure Goat were not affected by either recall and are available through specialist importers. See our formula guide for where to find them.
- ♥Buy a modest backup supply when you find stock. One or two extra cans is reasonable. Clearing shelves is not, as it makes things harder for other families in the same situation.
- ♥Never use homemade formula recipes. They circulate online and look convincing but lack essential nutrients and have caused serious harm to infants. This is not worth the risk under any circumstances.
The 2026 formula shortages are not random bad luck. They are the predictable consequence of a global formula industry that has concentrated production and ingredient sourcing to a degree that creates systemic fragility. When one ARA oil supplier fails, the world's largest formula brands fail with it. When Abbott's Sturgis plant closes, 40% of US formula supply disappears.
EU organic formula brands were not affected by either the cereulide recall or the ByHeart botulinum outbreak. This is not a marketing claim. It is a verifiable fact, and it reflects the structural difference between a globalised ingredient supply chain and a shorter, more traceable one. If you are choosing formula partly on the basis of supply reliability - which after 2022 and 2026 is a completely reasonable thing to do - the case for EU organic formula is not just about what is in the tin. It is about the resilience of the system that got it there.
"The formulas we recommend were unaffected by both the cereulide and ByHeart recalls. Here is why - and where to find them."
See our formula recommendations ✦