Baby Formula Recalled

Some of Gerber’s powdered infant formula product manufactured at a facility in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, have been voluntarily recalled due to possible bacterial contamination. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned parents in a March 17 notice that Perrigo Company plc has recalled certain lots of Gerber Good Start SootheProTM powdered infant formula due to the potential presence of cronobacter sakazakii, the same bacteria responsible for Enfamil’s plant-based powdered infant formula recall last month.

The recall only affects powdered infant food products under the Gerber Good Start Infant Formula Brand that were manufactured between Jan. 2 and Jan. 18. Gerber Good Start SoothePro products in 12.4-ounce, 30.6-ounce and 19.4-ounce cans with July 2024 use-by dates are affected by the recall. These products were sold at retailers nationwide after March 5, 2023. The complete list of affected lot codes and “use by” dates, which can be found on the bottom of the package, can be found on the FDA’s website here.

All recalled infant formulas were manufactured at the Company’s Gateway Eau Claire, Wisconsin manufacturing facility and were recalled due to the potential presence of Cronobacter sakazakii, a bacteria commonly found in the environment that thrives in dry foods, like powdered infant formula, powdered milk, herbal teas, and starches, per the FDA. Although the pathogen is harmless for most people, premature infants, infants under 2 months of age, and infants with weakened immune systems are most at risk and may experience symptoms including fever, poor feeding, excessive crying, or low energy. Other serious symptoms may occur.

Perrigo, one of the four major U.S. formula producers, said that “no distributed product has tested positive for the presence of this bacteria, no adverse events have been reported and no other products manufactured at this facility or any other of Perrigo’s facilities are affected by this recall,” adding that it issued the recall “out of an abundance of caution.” The company explained, “we have numerous regulatory approved procedures throughout the manufacturing process to control for Cronobacter sakazakii. Every batch of infant formula is tested to make certain it meets stringent nutritional, safety, quality, and regulatory requirements. As part of our rigorous protocols to protect the safety of families and infants, we are proactively taking this action.”

Consumers who purchased the recalled Gerber Good Start SootheProTM powdered infant formula are advised to stop using it. The recalled product should be thrown away. Consumers can request refunds for impacted products and find more information about Gerber Good Start by contacting the Gerber Parent Resource Center on behalf of Perrigo at 1-800-777-7690 anytime.