If you're a parent like me, you probably woke up and headed straight to the store to return your container of Similac. It's one of the best-selling infant formulas on the market and sat in many people's pantries until today. That's because the company that makes it, Abbott Laboratories, is voluntarily recalling 5 million Similac-brand powder formulas from stores across the country. Today, grocery stores, pharmacies and doctor's offices are busy pulling it from their shelves.
I bought my container of Similac at BJ's Wholesale Club and brought it back this morning. Store employees had already pulled every powdered Similac container from their shelves and they had no problem exchanging it for another brand.
It's a similar story at Wegmans, where they've pulled the products from store shelves. Tops Friendly Markets says it carries seven of the affected products and is in the process of pulling the affected containers too. Price Chopper officials told CNY Central Wednesday night, "We are in full fledged recall response...we have all the codes and detail information that is being sent out to stores as we speak...they will pull the product as soon as they get it." Price Chopper is also utilizing its "smart reply" phone recall system, directly contacting customers who have Price Chopper Advantage cards and provided contact information to the store.
If you were like me, you spent much of Wednesday night frustrated, trying to get information about the recall. My husband and I spent more than an hour trying to get on the Similac website to type in our product number and find out if our container was on the recall list. Clearly, the site was so overloaded with concerned parents that we were unable to log on. We even tried the 1-800 number that we were told to call. It was busy all night long. I was eventually able to reach a media relations consultant who told me the website should be back up and running soon. I later found out my baby's Similac was in fact on the recall list. As a mom and a journalist, my first instinct was to collect as much information as I could.
What's behind the recall? The company says there's a remote possibility some containers could have been contaminated with insect parts, specifically beetles and larvae. A company spokeswoman says Abbott uncovered the insects last week in one section of a Michigan manufacturing plant. Being overly cautious, the company voluntarily launched the recall.
My first reaction -- and I would presume the thoughts of many parents with infants -- will my baby get sick? The Food and Drug Administration says it poses no immediate health risk, though there is a possibility that babies could experience symptoms of gastrointestinal discomfort and refusal to eat due to irritation of the GI tract.
In my search for information, I spoke with my dad, a physician, who's response to me was: "Megan, do you know how many bugs you probably ate as a baby when you were playing outside. You have nothing to worry about."
I then spoke with Dr. Robert Draker of Summerwood Pediatrics who told me Similac representatives were already in his office this morning, collecting the recalled items and stocking his office with the liquid version, which is not part of the recall. "I give the company credit for taking the steps they have...I think they've been very proactive," he told me by phone. He says there's no reason for parents to worry, saying if it was his own child, he wouldn't be concerned. In fact, Dr. Draker says he would probably be more concerned about some of the tap water parents use to mix with the formula than the very remote possibility that children may have ingested an insect part.
Meanwhile today, the company is doing damage control, trying to reassure the public that it's product is safe. "We immediately shut down that one area and began an investigation," said Abbott's Melissa Brotz. "We're in the process of resolving it now. Delivering anything less than the highest quality infant formula is unacceptable to us," said Brotz. "We will do whatever is necessary to maintain the trust of parents in the coming weeks."
Bottom line, here's what parents need to know: The recall includes certain Similac powder product lines offered in plastic containers, and certain Similac powder product lines offered in sizes such as 8-ounce, 12.4-ounce and 12.9-ounce cans. It was sold in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Guam and some countries in the Caribbean. The recall does not affect any liquid formulas or other Abbott-brand products. If your child experiences any gastrointestinal symptoms that persist for more than a few days, contact your pediatrician.
To find out if your can of formula is included in this recall, click here and type in your lot number or call the hotline set up at (800) 986-8850. You can either return it to the store where you bought it or sent it back to Abbott for a full refund.
Similac is the best-selling infant formula in the U.S. Abbott's nutritional products - which include adult brands like Ensure - had sales of $5.3 billion last year. Abbott expects to lose $100 million in connection with the recall.
So would I ultimately buy Similac again? I probably would. Abbott has been extremely proactive in its response to address parents' concerns. Clearly, the safety and well being of our children is paramount.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this article.
