Update Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2010: Abbott Labs has updated its recall list for various Similac baby formula products, according to the Christian Science Monitor. You can find out if the Similac container you have is part of the recall by inputting the serial number here, or call 888-376-2054. Our original story below remains as it was first posted:
Abbott Labs today recalled Similac powdered infant formulas in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Guam and some countries in the Caribbean due possible contamination by a beetle.
The baby formula recall some 5 million containers are involved is the result of an internal quality review, which detected the remote possibility of the presence of a small common beetle in the product produced in one production area in a single manufacturing facility.
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in a statement that it "has determined that while the formula containing these 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."
If such symptoms persist for more than a few days, a physician should be consulted, the FDA advised.
The recall of these powder infant formulas includes:
To immediately find out if the product in your possession is included in this recall, you can visit www.similac.com/recall (the web site was innaccessible at the time of this writing, however) and type in their lot number to determine if their product is affected, or call (800) 986-8850.
Products not affected:
No Abbott liquid infant formulas are impacted. Products not involved in the recall include all Abbott Nutrition liquid ready-to-feed and concentrated infant formulas and all powder and liquid specialty formulas, such as Similac Expert Care Alimentum, Elecare, Similac Expert Care Neosure, Similac Human Milk Fortifier, and metabolic formulas for inherited disorders.
