In a new recall following one that has dogged them for most of this year, Abbott, which has been the largest manufacturer of infant formula in the United States, is now voluntarily recalling bottles of their type of formula on largest and most popular, Similac, from their manufacturing plant in Columbus, Ohio.
This recall is not for the bacterial contamination issues that prompted the massive voluntary recall at their Sturgis, Michigan plant earlier this year.
The new recall in Ohio is because the bottle caps of some of their 2-ounce ready-to-use liquid products made at the Columbus plant are faulty and may not completely seal, the company said. company in a recall notice.
A pallet of Similac infant formula is seen at a food distribution site hosted by the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, in West Covina, California, December 29, 2020.
Bing Guan/Reuters, FILE
If formula bottles aren’t properly sealed, it could lead to spoilage, Abbott said. According to the company, babies could develop painful gastrointestinal symptoms like diarrhea and vomiting if they consume spoiled produce.
Abbott points out that only a “small percentage, less than 1%” of the bottles in these recalled lots have defective caps, according to a statement. The company claims to have “identified the problem internally and fixed it”.
Although this is another setback for Abbott, industry experts say it is an important part of the surveillance system: for companies to rigorously self-monitor their control processes safety and quality and catch problems before they escalate.
Abbott declined to provide an exact number of recalled bottles now, but said in the statement that this “equals to less than one day of the total number of ounces of infant formula fed in the United States and is not expected to have a impact on the entire American infant formula supply.”
Even so – it still means this recall could temporarily keep millions of bottles off the shelves, in a market still recovering from this spring’s long formula crisis.
Between 2 and 3 million babies in the United States depend on formula to some degree every day, experts tell ABC. On average, infants drink between four and six 8-ounce bottles of formula per day. This includes unfinished or spilled bottles and naturally fluctuating appetites from day to day. Multiplied — that means American babies need 10 to 12 million bottles a day.
Bottles of Similac formula milk are seen on the empty shelves in the formula section of a store due to a formula shortage, May 17, 2022, in New Jersey.
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images, FILE
The Columbus facility recall impacts smaller 2-ounce bottles, more of which are needed for a day’s supply.
Abbott is still continuing to produce these popular Similac products on a separate production line from the factory, the company said.
Abbott’s dominance in the formulas industry has made their abrupt absence this spring a pressure on the US market. When their production of Sturgis was stopped due to Cronobacter contamination issues, it caused the US formula market to plummet.
Amid the severe shortage, Abbott increased production at its Columbus plant in an effort to alleviate some of the shortage.
Abbott converted manufacturing lines at its Columbus plant to increase production of Similac and Alimentum ready-to-use liquid formulas — something the company has repeatedly touted to the public and in congressional testimony.
Abbott says the products included in the recall from the Columbus plant were distributed “primarily to hospitals and certain medical practices, distributors and retailers in the United States, including Puerto Rico; a batch of products was sent to Barbados, Bermuda, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Croix and St. Thomas; and two batches were sent to Canada, Curaçao, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago.”
Similac 360 Total Care is one of the infant formula brands affected by the recall. Less than 1% of recalled bottles have caps that may not be sealed.
Bing Guan/Reuters, FILE
The company advises parents to check whether the formula they have has been recalled on similacrecall.com, and if so, not to use it.
Abbott says their recall includes the brands Similac® Pro-Total ComfortTM, Similac® 360 Total Care®, Similac 360 Total Care Sensitive, Similac® Special Care® 24, Similac Stage 1, Similac® NeoSure®, Similac Water (Sterilized) and Pedialyte Electrolyte Solution manufactured at their Columbus facility.
Abbott says this recall does not affect any of their other formula products. They say they will continue to produce Similac formula products “in alternate product sizes and formats for point-of-sale delivery, in addition to increased production throughout our global manufacturing network.”
“We take our responsibility to provide high quality products very seriously,” Joe Manning, executive vice president of nutritional products at Abbott, said in a statement. “We have identified the problem internally, are resolving it and will work with our customers to minimize the inconvenience and provide them with the products they need.”