3 types of baby formula recalled after reported bacterial infections

Abbott Nutrition, a popular baby-food manufacturer, announced Thursday that it was voluntarily recalling three types of infant formula after four babies became sick with bacterial infections after consuming the products.

>> Isabella Grullón PazThe New York Times
Published : 19 Feb 2022, 06:25 PM
Updated : 19 Feb 2022, 06:25 PM

The recall includes select lots of Similac, Alimentum and EleCare formulas that were manufactured at an Abbott facility in Sturgis, Michigan. It comes after the Food and Drug Administration received four consumer complaints of bacterial infections related to the formulas.

Three of the complaints concerned Cronobacter sakazakii, a bacterium that can cause severe, life-threatening infections or inflammation of the membranes that protect the brain and spine. Cronobacter infection may also cause bowel damage and may spread through the blood to other parts of the body, according to the FDA.

The FDA had posted on Thursday a recommendation to parents warning them about the products after illnesses in Minnesota, Ohio and Texas resulted in the hospitalisation of four infants. The bacterium may have contributed to a death in one case, the agency said.

“We know parents depend on us to provide them with the highest quality nutrition formulas,” Joe Manning, executive vice president for nutritional products at Abbott, said in a statement. “We’re taking this action so parents know they can trust us to meet our high standards, as well as theirs.”

Abbott Nutrition did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment Friday.

The recall, which comes during a drastic baby-food shortage, affects certain lots of Similac, Alimentum and EleCare with expiration dates of April 1, 2022, or later. Products affected by the recall will also have a long sequence of numbers on the bottom of the container that starts with the first two digits 22 through 37, and contains K8, SH or Z2. The recall does not apply to Abbott products manufactured in other facilities, the company said.

In its announcement, Abbott did not specify how many units the recall affected, but Similac baby formulas are highly popular in the United States and abroad.

In its statement announcing the recall, Abbott said it conducts “routine testing for Cronobacter sakazakii and other pathogens.” In tests of the Sturgis facility, the company said, it “found evidence of Cronobacter sakazakii in the plant in nonproduct contact areas,” but no evidence of Salmonella Newport, the bacterium cited in the fourth consumer complaint.

“No distributed product has tested positive for the presence of either of these bacteria,” Abbott said.

But the FDA said it had initiated an on-site inspection of the plant in which environmental samples tested positive for Cronobacter. Inspectors have also uncovered potential manufacturing problems, and a review of internal records reveals the company’s past destruction of product because of bacterial contamination.

Frank Yiannas, the FDA deputy commissioner for food policy and response, said he was “deeply concerned” about the reports, since formula is a “product used as the sole source of nutrition for many of our nation’s newborns and infants.”

The FDA is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention along with federal and local authorities in Minnesota, Ohio and Texas in its investigation.

The FDA is recommending that parents and caregivers of infants who have used the recalled products and might be concerned about the health of their child should contact their child’s health care provider.

©2022 The New York Times Company