Abbott Nutrition, a popular baby food maker, announced on Thursday that it is voluntarily recalling three types of infant formula after four children developed bacterial infections after eating the products.
review includes choose from many Similac, Alimentum and EleCare formulas which were manufactured at Abbott’s facility in Sturgis, Michigan. This comes after the Food and Drug Administration received four consumer complaints of formula-related bacterial infections.
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 can also cause damage to the intestines and can spread through the blood to other parts of the body. according to FDA.
On Thursday, the FDA issued an advisory to parents warning them about the products after illnesses in Minnesota, Ohio and Texas led to four babies being hospitalized. The bacterium may have contributed to death in one case, agency said.
“We value the trust that parents have in us for the quality and safety of our food, and we will do everything we can to maintain that trust and resolve this situation,” said Vicki Assardo, Senior Director of Global Communications at Abbott Nutrition. Application Friday night.
review, what happens during a severe shortage of baby food, affects certain batches of Similac, Alimentum, and EleCare with an expiration date 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 from 22 to 37 and contains K8, SH, or Z2.
The recall does not apply to Abbott products made at other facilities, the company said.
In its statement, Abbott did not specify how many units were affected by the recall, but Similac infant formula is very popular in the United States and abroad.
In its recall statement, Abbott said it was conducting “routine testing for Cronobacter sakazakii and other pathogens.”
The company said that during testing at the Sturgis facility, it “detected the presence of Cronobacter sakazakii at the plant in non-product contact areas” but found no sign of Salmonella Newport, the bacterium cited in the fourth consumer complaint.
“No product distributed has tested positive for the presence of any of these bacteria,” Abbott said.
But FDA said he initiated an on-site inspection of the plant during which environmental samples tested positive for Cronobacter. The inspectors also identified potential manufacturing issues, and an internal document review revealed that the company had destroyed products in the past due to bacterial contamination, the agency said.
Frank Yannas, FDA Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response, said he was “deeply concerned” by the reports because formula is “a product used as the sole source of nutrition for many newborns and infants in our country.”
The FDA is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as federal and local authorities in Minnesota, Ohio, and Texas, in its investigation.
The FDA recommends that parents and caregivers of infants who have used recalled products contact their child’s primary care physician if they are concerned about their child’s health.