Milk banned over contamination concerns still on sale in Haiti

Boxes of infant formula produced by Danone and withdrawn from the European market over contamination concerns are still being sold in supermarkets in Port-au-Prince, AyiboPost has found

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The French food multinational announced in January 2026 the withdrawal of two batches of infant milk because of contamination with cereulide, a toxin produced by the bacterium Bacillus cereus.

This toxic substance can cause vomiting, diarrhea or, in some cases, serious infections, particularly in newborns and premature babies.

Many of these products nevertheless continue to be sold in at least two supermarkets in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, an AyiboPost reporter observed during visits.

The company’s first recall, carried out last January, concerned two formulas for infants aged 0 to 6 months: Gallia Calisma Relais 1er âge, in 830-gram tins, with a use-by date of October 13, 2026, and Blédilait 1er âge, in 400-gram tins, with a use-by date of October 29, 2026.

In total, around twenty varieties of infant milk and cereals were removed from the market, as listed on Rappel Conso, the official French government website that warns about potentially dangerous products.

At Olympic Market, located in the Lalue neighborhood in downtown Port-au-Prince, boxes of Blédilait Junior and Gallia fill the shelves.

Among them, 830-gram samples of Gallia Calisma Relais intended for second-age children (6 to 12 months), identified by the unique code (GTIN) 3041091725950 and banned from consumption, can be seen on the shelves.

The company did not respond to a request for comment sent via its Facebook page.

Boxes of the same milk, identified by the same code, were also observed on the shelves of Delimart in Turgeau, owned by Haitian businessman Reginald Boulos. Boulos was arrested by U.S. immigration authorities in July 2025.

In both stores, the products have the same minimum durability date, set for July 25, 2026. This information matches exactly the characteristics of the products recalled in Europe.

Asked on site by AyiboPost, a Delimart shelf stocker said he was unaware of the recall measures targeting these products.

During this reporting, AyiboPost contacted Delimart officials by email. The article will be updated if a response is received.

A variety of infant formula was also noticed on the shelves of Caribbean Market on Métellus Street.

Among these products are those of the brand Blédina, a subsidiary of the Danone group, such as Gallia Calisma 1er âge (0 to 6 months), in 830-gram tins, identified by the unique product code 3041091725929 and bearing a use-by date of March 20, 2027. The identifier of this product, seen on Caribbean Market’s shelves, corresponds to one of the batches withdrawn from the market by Danone. However, the use-by date on the product at Caribbean is not on the list of items withdrawn by the company.

A request for comment was sent to Caribbean Market, which did not respond.

In Haiti, the import of infant dairy products, classified under the label of pharmaceutical goods, is regulated by the Direction de la Pharmacie, du Médicament et de la Médecine Traditionnelle (DPM-MT) of the Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP).

The MSPP monitors suppliers and issues operating authorizations for pharmacies and companies that import medicines.

During this reporting, AyiboPost contacted the DPM-MT, which did not respond to requests.

Oversight related to product inspections in supermarkets is handled by the Direction du Contrôle de la Qualité et de la Protection du Consommateur (DCQPC) within the Ministry of Commerce. Alerts are public, but the DCQPC told AyiboPost it had received no warning concerning the circulation of the milk boxes withdrawn from sale.

“We have received no alert regarding these categories of [dairy] products that would require activating a recall mechanism,” explained Papyto Vilvert, assistant director of the DCQPC, an agency equipped with an alert system connected externally.

The MCI official continued: “If the Ministry of Health had such information, it would have passed it on to the Ministry of Commerce for the necessary follow-up.”

If defective products enter the market, follow-up actions are taken with customs, companies and importers to remove them from circulation, the official said. According to him, the department has no longer been receiving such foreign alerts for several years.

If the product did not enter through an official channel, tracing its arrival on the territory remains impossible, Vilvert said.

The unstable security context also limits the DCQPC’s scope of control, which is normally required to inspect supermarkets, shopping centers, warehouses or butcher shops.

The institution is supposed to monitor general hygiene, the presentation of products on shelves (anomalies, deformities), labeling and the proper functioning of the cold chain.

There are limits on inspectors’ movements, who cannot work everywhere, “which means that certain areas are not subject to these controls,” specified the DCQPC’s assistant director, Papyto Vilvert.

Moreover, laboratories located in areas controlled by gangs, which assisted in inspection work, such as the Tamarinier laboratory, have been vandalized.

The issue of imports through unofficial channels also poses a problem.

In an email sent to AyiboPost, Danone stated that no “batch concerned by the recall in Europe has been identified as having been exported directly to Haiti through our official channels.”

This “targeted preventive recall,” according to the company, is intended to “align [the brand] with the new recommendations of the authorities.”

The multinational also said it had implemented “additional controls on its ingredients” as part of its compliance approach, and specified that it is extending its recall to several batches of infant formula.

By : Jérôme Wendy Norestyl

Cover |Gallia Calisma Relais 830-gram dairy products for children aged 6 to 12 months, prohibited for consumption, observed on the shelves of Olympic Market in Lalue. February 10, 2026. Photo : Jerome Wendy Norestyl  for AyiboPost.