Baby Food Maker Mellin Purchased by Numico Food Group

Royal Numico, a Dutch food and nutrition group announced they have signed an agreement to purchase baby food company Mellin, of Italy, from Findim Group at a reported price of US$529.87m.

"The acquisition of Mellin baby represents an important step forward for our Baby Food strategy in Western Europe,” CEO of Numico, Jan Bennink, stated. Adding that “Mellin complements and significantly strengthens our existing operations in terms of product range, channel presence and market position. The resulting competitive number 2 position in the Italian baby food market provides Numico with the necessary platform and scale to drive growth in this underdeveloped and fragmented market.”

Mellin currently has a 21 percent market share of the Baby Food market in Italy. The weaning food categories and the surging grocery channel are particularly strong positions for Mellin. In recent years Mellin has grown at a rate of 10%, substantially outperforming the growth of the Italian Baby Food market in general.

Recall of Baby Food Product Issued

A public release by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and La mère poule Aliments pour bébé Inc. was issued warning consumers from eating Mother Hen Strained Lamb Baby Food due to the product possibly being contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

Food that is contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes may not smell or look spoiled. Consuming food contaminated with this bacterium can cause listeriosis, with symptoms of severe headache, high fever, neck stiffness and nausea. Pregnant women, babies and infants, young children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems are especially at risk. Also, infected pregnant women may feel only mild, flu-like symptoms, however, infections during pregnancy can cause premature delivery, infection of the newborn, or possibly even stillbirth.

The only affected product, Mother Hen Strained Lamb Baby Food, is sold frozen, in a package of 6 units that have the label UPC 6 23067 16001 4 and code 601101016001. The individual unit is labelled with the code 601101. La mère poule Aliments pour bébé Inc. is the manufacturer, and the company is voluntarily recalling the affected baby food product from the marketplace.The affected product has been distributed in Ontario and Quebec Canada. To date, there haven't been any reported illnesses associated with the consumption of this product.

Big Save Baby Strollers Recalled by CPSC

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), an official federal agency, recently announced along with baby strollers and walkers maker Big Save International the recall of an estimated 12,000 baby walkers. The CPSC warns that the product fits through standard doorways and are also not designed to stop at the edge of a step. The baby walkers also can tip over, the report states. The bulletin added that babies which are transported in these walkers may be seriously injured or killed. No injuries have been reported to date.

The Big Save baby walker models included in the recall are 9026, 9028, 9090, 90110 and 90111. The strollers were distributed and purchased by consumers at toy and baby products stores nationwide, for a retail price of $15-$25, from September 1998 through December 2004. The Consumer Product Safety Commission and Big Save are urging owners of these baby strollers to immediately stop using them and return the products to the store where they were purchased to receive a refund on the item.