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URGENT RECALL: Fears for deadly contamination in baby formula

Australia and New Zealand's food standards watchdog have issued an urgent recall for a batch of baby formula over fears it could be contaminated with Salmonella and Cronobacter bacteria.

Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) on Saturday issued the recall notice for some EleCare, Similac and Alimentum infant formula products.

The products were manufactured in the United States but were available nationally in Australia through prescription at pharmacies, hospitals and via direct mail order.

Abbott’s Executive Vice President Joe Manning said the company was voluntarily recalling products out of an abundance of caution.

“We deeply regret the concern and inconvenience this situation will cause parents, caregivers and health care professionals,” he said.

According to FSANZ, the recalled products can be identified by the “7 to 9 digit code and expiration date on the bottom of the package”.”.

FSANZ says the recall notice is due to a potential microbial contamination of Cronobacter and Salmonella.

According to the US Food and Drug Administration, which issued a warning against using the products on Thursday, the complaints registered related to Cronobacter sakazakii and Salmonella Newport.

“To date, this investigation has been associated with four illnesses (three for Cronobacter and one for Salmonella),” it said in a statement.

“All four cases related to these complaints were hospitalised and Cronobacter may have contributed to a death in one case.”

It continued to note that Cronobacter bacteria can cause life-threatening infections, including sepsis and meningitis.

EDITOR'S NOTE:
According to an Abbott spokesperson, for Australian consumers, the recall only impacts specific batches of EleCare in Australia. No other nutrition products – or Similac products – distributed by Abbott in Australia are affected by this recall.
Alimentum and Similac Human Milk Fortifier (HMF) are not sold by Abbott in Australia and these products are not available in Australia by prescription at pharmacies and hospitals.
In Australia, two batches of EleCare are impacted by the recall:
If parents have EleCare, they should call 1800 225 311 or email NutritionANZ@abbott.com to find out if they have impacted product. Do not use the impacted product. Parents should talk to their child’s healthcare professional about suitable, alternative feeding options. No other nutrition products distributed by Abbott in Australia are affected by this recall, and you can continue to use those.

Image: NBC

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baby formula, news, health, food recall, safety