A baby formula display shelf is seen at a Walmart grocery store in Orlando. (Photo by Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
By Matt Ott
The maker of Enfamil announced a recall of about 145,000 cans of infant formula due to the possibility of cross-contamination with a bacteria that can cause serious illness or death.
Reckitt, a U.K.-based consumer health and nutrition company, said over the weekend that is voluntarily recalling two batches of Enfamil ProSobee Simply Plant-Based Infant Formula, but that no illnesses or “adverse events” have been reported. The company said it identified the cause of the potential cronobacter contamination and are no longer using the supplier.
According to the the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and prevention, cronobacter infections in infants can be deadly. The bacteria occurs naturally in soil, water and other parts of the environment and can live in dry foods, such as powdered milk, herbal teas, starches and baby formula.
Almost all previous outbreaks in the U.S. have been linked to powdered baby formulas, which don’t undergo the same high temperatures used to kill germs in many other foods. Cronobacter typically causes fever in infants and can sometimes lead to dangerous blood infections or swelling of the brain.
Last year, a nationwide baby formula shortage was triggered by an Abbott Nutrition plant that had to be closed for months because of contamination problems.
Abbott recalled various lots of three powdered infant formulas from the plant, after federal officials began investigating rare bacterial infections in four babies who were fed formula. Two of the infants died. But it’s not certain the bacteria came from the plant; strains found at the plant didn’t match the two available samples from the babies.
For the most recent recall, consumers should check the packaging of their formula to make sure they didn't purchase the recalled product. The product is Enfamil ProSobee Powder, 12.9 ounce can with a UPC number of 300871214415; global batch number of ZL2HZF or ZL2HZZ; lot number of 0670975 or 0670979 and an expiration date of March 1, 2024.
Consumers can return the product to wherever they bought it for a full refund. They can also call Reckit at 1-800-479-0551 or email the company at consumer.relations (at) rb.com.
An independent watchdog within the IRS reports that while taxpayer services have vastly improved, the agency is still too slow to resolve identity theft cases. And National Taxpayer Advocate Erin Collins says those delays are “unconscionable.” Erin M. Collins said in the report released Wednesday that overall the 2024 filing season went smoothly, though IRS delays in resolving identity theft victim assistance cases are worsening. It took nearly 19 months to resolve self-reported identity theft cases as of January, and Wednesday's report states that now it takes 22 months to resolve these cases.
Amazon.com Inc. surpassed $2 trillion in market value for the first time in afternoon trading on Wednesday. The push higher for Amazon’s stock market valuation comes a little more than a week after Nvidia hit $3 trillion and briefly became the most valuable company on Wall Street. Nvidia’s chips are used to power many AI application and its valuation has soared as a result. Amazon has also been making big investments in AI as global interest has grown in the technology. Most of the company’s focus has been on business-focused products.
Climate change doesn’t just mean more extreme weather – it also leads to billions of dollars in lost productivity, tourism, and stresses infrastructure.
