WATCH: Urgent recall of powdered infant formula
Over 675,000 cans of baby food are being recalled due to possible bacterial contamination, the company announced.
Reckitt and Mead Johnson Nutrition, the makers of Enfamil and Nutramigen, announced Saturday that they were voluntarily recalling doses of Nutramigen Hypoallergenic Infant Formula Powder, a specialty formula for infants with cow's milk allergies, following product testing outside the United States
FDA
Reckitt/Mead Johnson Nutrition, a nutritional products manufacturer, announced that it has voluntarily decided to recall select lots of Nutramigen powder from the U.S. market.
“When we were alerted to possible cross-contamination in product samples outside the U.S. in December, both Reckitt/Mead Johnson and the U.S. FDA tested samples from the batch in question and all tests came back negative,” said Reckitt and Mead Johnson a nutrition spokesperson said to ABC News in a statement. “However, Reckitt/Mead Johnson recognizes the incredible responsibility we have in providing what is often the only nutrition for infants, and there can be no shortcuts for this vulnerable population – so we have chosen to produce select batches of “To recall Nutramigen from an abundance of caution.”
“Parents should be assured that they can continue to safely feed their infants Reckitt/Mead Johnson Nutrition products, including other Nutramigen powder formulas,” the spokesperson added.
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Currently, only 12.6 and 19.8 ounce hypoallergenic Nutramigen infant formula cans manufactured in June 2023 are affected by the recall. Reckitt said Nutramigen's liquid formulas and its other nutritional products are not affected by the recall.
The infant formula cans are being recalled because of possible contamination with Cronobacter sakazakii, a type of bacteria commonly found in dry products like powdered milk, infant formula and herbal tea, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the same type of bacteria behind previous Baby food recalls – and infant formula, including the Abbott recall that closed the Sturgis, Michigan, plant in 2022.
The CDC notes that Cronobacter sakazakii infection is rare but can be particularly dangerous for babies younger than 2 months, premature babies and babies with weakened immune systems, and older adults over 65 years old. Cronobacter sakazakii infections in babies can potentially cause fever, very low energy, difficulty feeding, seizures, inflammation in the brain and spinal cord, and can be life-threatening.
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Reckitt and Mead Johnson Nutrition said they had not received any reports of illness.