Abbott Nutrition has voluntarily recalled, and the FDA is warning consumers not to use, powdered infant formula produced by Abbott's Sturgis, Mich., facility as the agency investigates complaints of cronobacter sakazakii and salmonella newport infections. They may have caused one baby's death.
The FDA is advising consumers not to use Similac, Alimentum or EleCare powdered infant formulas if:
- 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.
The FDA is investigating complaints of four infant illnesses from three states. All four cases related to these complaints were hospitalized and Cronobacter may have contributed to a death in one case. The FDA has initiated an onsite inspection at the facility.
Findings to date include several positive Cronobacter sakazakii results from environmental samples taken by the FDA and adverse inspectional observations by the FDA investigators. A review of the firm's internal records also indicates environmental contamination with Cronobacter sakazakii and the firm's destruction of product due to the presence of Cronobacter.
Products made at the Sturgis, Michigan facility can be found across the U.S. and were likely exported to other countries.
