An urgent warning has been issued for parents using baby formulas from Similac, Alimentum and EleCare. Ongoing investigations say this formula might be responsible for four cases of hospitalizations and one death of an infant. Parents are advised to throw out the products or submit them for refund as soon as possible.
Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced it is investigating consumer complaints about Cronobacter sakazakii and Salmonella Newport infections. All cases were linked to the formula manufacturer Abbott Nutrition, who issued a voluntary recall on three of its powdered products.
FDA Investigations: The Cronobacter and Salmonella Infections
FDA officially tweeted the initial results of their investigations on February 18. They said that all cases of consumer complaints "reported to have consumed powdered infant formula produced from Abbott Nutrition's Sturgis, MI facility."
FDA is advising consumers not to use Similac, Alimentum, or EleCare powdered infant formulas if:
— U.S. FDA (@US_FDA) February 17, 2022
• the first two digits of the code are 22 through 37 and
• the code on the container contains K8, SH, or Z2, and
• the expiration date is 4-1-2022 (APR 2022) or later.
FDA further advised "consumers not to use Similac, Alimentum, or EleCare powdered infant formulas," especially if their formula label includes the following indicators:
- First two digits of the code are 22 through 37 and
- Code on the container contains K8, SH, or Z2, and
- Expiration date is 4-1-2022 (APR 2022) or later.
FDA said the investigations "has been associated with four illnesses (three for Cronobacter and one for Salmonella) spanning the following states: MN, OH, and TX." Unfortunately, this formula might have also contributed to the death of one infant in those cases.
The investigation is still underway, so a few more updates might be released later this month. For now, families are advised to watch out for the indicators and dispose of or return the baby formula.
This is an ongoing investigation, and the firm is working with the FDA to initiate a voluntary recall of potentially affected product.
— U.S. FDA (@US_FDA) February 17, 2022
Abbott Nutrition Issues: Urgent Baby Formula Recall
The company officially acknowledged the issue on its website. In a post titled "Recall Notice: US / Puerto Rico," they clarified that the recall does not include their metabolic deficiency nutrition formulas.
Abbott also listed some of the symptoms that infants might feel related to Cronobacter or Salmonella infections. These are:
- Abnormal movements
- Blood in the urine or stool
- Grunting breaths
- Irritability
- Jaundice
- Lethargy
- Poor feeding
- Temperature changes
- Rash
Parents who recognize these indicators are recommended to immediately contact their health care provider for proper medication and care.
It should be emphasized that although the infected products are manufactured at Sturgis, Michigan facility, the products are probably exported to many other different states. So all parents are recommended to practice caution and double-check their baby formula for the indicators mentioned above.
How to Check Online If Baby Formula Is Part of Recall
Note that there is an online tool that can help families quickly check if their baby formula is part of the recall. This tool can also jumpstart the refund process for the product. Here are the steps to use Abbot Product Lookup:
- To check on the tool, consumers should head to this website.
- Check on the Lot Number of the physical product, which can be found the bottom of the bottle or can.
- Input the code on the "Lot Number bar," excluding the first letter and last two numbers.
- If the product is part of the recall, customers will be prompted to provide their full name, address, phone number, email address and number of purchased containers.
- Users should then click on "Submit."
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