- A large-scale recall of possibly contaminated infant formula highlights food companies’ common practice of giving out free samples of infant formula through the mail, through hospitals and in other settings.
- These and other marketing practices have caused controversy for decades.
- Critics argue the free samples and other tactics push women away from breastfeeding, which is generally considered healthier.
- Many countries around the world restrict the marketing of infant formula.
The boxes of infant formula arrived at our home before the baby did.
Two different companies learned that my wife and I were expecting a child. It may have happened when my wife created an online baby gift registry. We didn’t ask for formula, but late last year the companies sent colorful boxes of coupons and milk powder to us in Memphis.
One box held envelopes of the brand Enfamil, the other box contained three big cans of Similac formula. I put the free formula samples in a kitchen cabinet, figuring we might use them later. Weeks passed and the baby was born.
Then news broke on Feb. 17 of babies sick from bacterial infection after drinking Similac and related brands. One of the babies had died. I opened the cabinet and checked the serial numbers on the three Similac cans against a recall website.
Baby formula recall 2022:FDA warns consumers not to use select Similac, Alimentum and EleCare
Every one of the cans in the colorful free sample box was part of the recall.
Fortunately, we hadn’t tried to give this formula to our newborn. On Tuesday, 12 days after the recall was announced, we received a letter from the company alerting us to the possibility of contamination.
The situation highlights food companies’ common practice of giving out free samples of infant formula through the mail, through hospitals and in other settings.
These and other marketing practices have caused controversy for decades.
Critics have argued that the marketing of infant formula around the world pushes mothers away from breastfeeding, which is generally considered the healthiest option for children.
The World Health Organization adopted guidelines in 1981 that restrict the advertising of infant formula and bar tactics such as giving free samples to mothers and promoting formula in health care settings. Many countries have put all or part of the guidelines into law.
But the U.S. does not regulate the marketing of infant formula, researchers with the University of Connecticut and New York University wrote in a 2020 article.
That leads to promotions like the boxes sent to our home and to other tactics, such as the free samples routinely made available at hospitals in cities like Memphis.
When the recall hit, some Memphis hospitals had to throw out their stock of the formula, some hospital representatives said.
The FDA has not confirmed any cases of illnesses related to the formula in Tennessee.
Similac is a product of healthcare company Abbott.
“We value the trust parents place in us for high quality and safe nutrition and we’ll do whatever it takes to keep that trust and resolve this situation,” Abbott spokesman Jonathon Hamilton wrote in an email.
“If product is affected by the recall, do not use it and go to similacrecall.com or call 1-800-986-8540 to obtain a refund or replacement.
“Abbott has sent written and email correspondence to those who received samples from the company with instructions on how to return the samples. Our field employees are also visiting hospitals and doctors’ offices to recover the product.”
In response to questions about marketing practices, the Abbott spokesman sent a further statement:
“We support parents in their feeding choices, whether they choose to breastfeed, use formula, or use a combination of both. We believe that parents need science-based, factual information if they are interested in formula to have more informed conversations with healthcare providers. The communications we deliver about our products follow all local laws and regulations in the countries where we operate.”
Enfamil manufacturer Mead Johnson & Company didn’t respond to requests for comment on their free sample practices.
Memphis-area hospitals identify recalled formula, discard it
The recall of the Abbott formula was announced Feb. 17. It covered select lots of Similac, Alimentum and EleCare brand formulas that were manufactured at an Abbott facility in Sturgis, Michigan.
At the time, four babies had become ill.
The FDA said Feb. 28 that a fifth baby had become sick, and that it was also recalling a specific lot of another formula, Similac PM 60/40.
Similac recall:Baby formula recall expands to include Similac PM after another baby dies of Cronobacter
All five babies were hospitalized. Four had Cronobacter sakazakii infections, one had a Salmonella Newport infection.
Of those five, two had died.
Two of the five cases were in Texas, two were in Ohio, and one in Minnesota, according to the FDA.
The company says no distributed product had tested positive for the bacteria and describes the recall as voluntary.
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital doesn’t have a maternity unit but sometimes admits young babies as patients, and the hospital sometimes provides formula.
“Le Bonheur stopped passing out the formula the day the recall hit and subsequently got rid of all the formula,” spokesman David Henson said.
“We reached out to all our community partners and pediatrician offices and anyone that might have had the formula to make sure that they were aware of the recall.”
Those community partners then contacted families and told them not to use the formula, he said.
“Anyone who received it that was at Le Bonheur should have received a call not to use it. We got rid of it all.”
At Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown, a major maternity hospital within the Methodist system, the removal procedure was much the same, and was repeated again Monday with the new recall, spokeswoman Rachel Powers Doyle wrote in an email.
Baptist Women’s Hospital likewise removed the formula, said Ayoka Pond, a spokeswoman for the Baptist hospital group.
Regional One Health spokeswoman Angie Golding said the hospital uses a different brand of formula and wasn’t impacted by the recall.
At least one social media user in Memphis had said her child had to be hospitalized at Le Bonheur following consumption of suspected formula. However, The Commercial Appeal was unable to contact the parent, and the Le Bonheur spokesman couldn’t verify if any patients had been admitted in connection to the formula recall.
Formula shortage:5 things you can do to feed your baby during a formula shortage
News outlets probe WIC connection, early warnings of bacteria problems
Aside from the questions about marketing methods, the Abbott recall highlights other issues with infant formula.
Abbott had contracted with Pennsylvania and other states to supply formula to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, or WIC.
In Pennsylvania, that agreement stopped the mothers of 37,000 infants in the WIC program from using any formula other than Similac, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The federal government issued an order allowing states to bend the rules and the parents to buy other formulas.
And the online news site Politico and magazine Consumer Reports both reported that the FDA had first received a report of a foodborne illness suspected to be linked to infant formula in September, months before the recall.
Members of Congress are demanding the FDA explain what happened.
Recall database: Check USA TODAY’s recall resource for the latest updates
How to find out if your formula is covered by the recall
The products under recall include Similac, Alimentum and EleCare powdered infant formulas, USA TODAY reported. Check a multidigit number on the bottom of the container to know if your product is included:
The first two digits of the code are 22 through 37; and
The code on the container contains K8, SH or Z2; and
The expiration date is 4-1-2022 (APR 2022) or later.
On Monday, the FDA also recalled Similac PM 60/40 with lot code 27032K80 (can) / 27032K800 (case).
The website Similacrecall.com allows you to type in the code on the bottom of the package. You can also call 1-800-986-8540 and follow the instructions provided.
Investigative reporter Daniel Connolly welcomes tips and comments from the public. Reach him at 529-5296, daniel.connolly@commercialappeal.com, or on Twitter at @danielconnolly.
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