Company spokesman Ravi Pillay said it was believed that sales of the 12 000 stolen cans of Nan, Pelargon and Lactogen would be restricted to Harrismith, and perhaps as far afield as Bethlehem and Qwaqwa.
But the company urged parents to be careful when purchasing the products.
"Because these products have left Nestlé's strict control, the company can no longer guarantee their quality and safety, and is recommending that they not be consumed," Pillay said.
He said cans of Lactogen1 4kg, Nan1 and 2 in 1.8kg tins, Pelargon 1.8kg and Pelargon 900g were stolen from the Nestlé factory.
Pillay said that the products were likely to surface in spaza shops and "on the street".
"We would like to appeal to the public to help us in removing these stolen products from the market.
Pillay said that security at the factory at which the milk formula was produced had been tightened considerably.
He would not say if this was the first theft or confirm that one of the arrested suspects was a Nestlé employee.
The stolen products had batch numbers 91810179L1, 90670179B1, 91840179B1 or 83460179-B2, 91220179NP or 92400179NP.
Consumers in possession of products from these batches are urged to contact Nestlé's call centre on 086-009-6116 for an exchange or refund.
Source: The Times
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