New Criminal Complaints Filed in French Contaminated Infant Formula Crisis

On February 13, the Association for Child Health (APS-Enfants) filed three criminal complaints against unknown parties in Paris, Bordeaux, and Angers concerning the contaminated infant formula scandal that has gripped France since December. The complaint in Paris targets systemic and national responsibilities, while those in Bordeaux and Angers focus on potential involuntary manslaughter and bodily harm linked to several infant deaths reported in France. The country has registered three infant deaths and about fifteen hospitalizations possibly connected to formula contaminated by the toxin cereulide, although no direct causal link has yet been confirmed.

As part of the investigation, analyses managed by France’s National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (Anses) have been outsourced to Belgium’s public health institute Sciensano due to inadequate analytical capacity within France — a move criticized by the collective Intox’Alim for exposing shortfalls in the French response to this infant health crisis. The complaints add to the mounting legal challenges, including earlier action from NGO Foodwatch and ongoing judicial inquiries into each death.

Further affirming the gravity of the situation, another association emphasized the need to open thorough investigations to clarify the roles and responsibilities of all actors involved — from industry players and suppliers to distributors and authorities. This step seeks to confront what has been described as a "sentiment of impunity" that has perpetuated repeated scandals.

This latest legal development highlights the deepening scrutiny facing the infant formula sector in France and the demand for accountability amid the ongoing public health emergency.