BIPEA launches cereulide testing for infant formula
BIPEA’s proficiency test, designated 74A, was introduced after precautionary withdrawals and recalls involving infant-nutrition products from several global brands in December and early January 2026. The exercise was intended to give laboratories a means of evaluating their analytical performance in identifying cereulide, a toxin associated with contaminated infant formula.
The round combined qualitative testing with optional quantitative analysis. BIPEA prepared the material using a commercially available positive batch of infant formula naturally contaminated with cereulide and a negative batch. It then produced three sample sets with different contamination levels and distributed one 10g portion from each set to every participating laboratory.
Laboratories conducted their analyses under ISO 18465:2017 or other comparable and appropriate procedures. For the qualitative component, a result was considered unsatisfactory when a laboratory reported an incorrect finding for at least one of the three samples. Three of the 34 laboratories, or about 9%, did not meet that standard.
For the quantitative component, BIPEA established a statistically assigned cereulide concentration for the samples. Nine laboratories, representing about 26% of participants, produced results outside the specified tolerance range. Abdelkader Boubtera, BIPEA’s scientific and technical manager, said that most results beyond the limits could be associated with the omission of a hydration step before toxin extraction from powdered milk.
Mr Boubtera said future interlaboratory exercises could include further challenges, such as diluting contaminated milk powder so that measured concentrations are closer to regulatory limits. The April exercise remained experimental, with participation extending across more than 15 countries.
BIPEA has supported laboratories for more than 50 years through proficiency tests, reference materials and quality-control services. Its work covers food, environmental analysis, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. The organisation described proficiency testing as a source of information on laboratory performance, particularly in food-safety testing, where analytical reliability is a central requirement.
