Recall of Similac Powdered Baby Formula Infant Formula - May Be Contaminated With Beetles

I woke up this morning to the alarm clock going off, the radio blaring and news that infant formula may contain beetles or their larvae.  But, have no fear this issue "poses no immediate health risk . . . "  What?!?

I was disturbed after the birth of my second child, who spent two weeks in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and the doctor's recommended that I supplement my milk with Human Milk Fortifier.   

There are many reasons why women and families choose to breast feed or use formula and I am not looking to debate those.  I am also fully aware of studies out there that say breast milk itself contains many toxins because of those that the mother is exposed and in general the increased number of toxins in our environment.  However, I just think this is an important reminder about the world that we live in all the manufactured "food" products that line the shelves at the local grocery store.  

Recall of Similac Powdered Baby Formula

Sept. 22, 2010 -- Illinois-based Abbott Laboratories says it is recalling about 5 million containers of its top-selling Similac powdered infant formula due to possible contamination by beetles or larvae of the bugs.

Abbott spokeswoman Melissa Brotz tells WebMD that the product being recalled is sold in cans and plastic containers, and that only the powdered versions of the popular infant formula is involved in its “proactive” action.

Similac sold in liquid form is not part of the recall, Brotz says.

“We know that parents place a lot of trust in our Similac brands and delivering anything less than the highest quality infant formula to them is unacceptable to us,” she tells WebMD. “We will do whatever is necessary to maintain that trust in the coming weeks and months.”

Recalled Similac Could Cause Illness

The company said in a news release posted on the web site of the FDA that an internal quality review detected the “remote possibility of the presence of a small common beetle in the product produced” in one of its manufacturing facilities.

Abbott says the FDA had determined that while the formula containing the beetles “poses no immediate health risk, there is a possibility that infants who consume formula containing the beetles or their larvae could experience symptoms of gastrointestinal discomfort and refusal to eat as a result of small insect parts irritating the GI tract.”

You can read the remainder of this article here.

Information about the recall in its entirety is available on Similac's website here.