KUCHING: Two powdered infant formulas have been recalled from the local market, after Cronobacter sakazakii and Salmonella Newport bacteria were detected in the products.
The two affected products were Alimentum (400g) and Human Milk Fortifier (0.9gx50 sachets) by United States company Abbott Nutrition’s production facility in Sturgis, Michigan.
Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said actions have been taken to recall the products from the local market after receiving the information provided by the US Food and Drug Administration.
The Health Ministry’s Food Safety and Quality Division had also conducted investigations on the two powdered infant formulas
The affected products are with batch numbers starting with 22 through 37; the barcode on the container contains K8, SH or Z2; and the expiration date is on April 1 or later, he said in a statement yesterday.
The Health Ministry had imposed an auto-rejection order at all international arrival entries against the products while Abbott Laboratories (M) Sdn Bhd confirmed that the company had informed the retailers, online sellers, distributors and institutions that purchased these products to stop selling them.
Noor Hisham said although Cronobacter can cause sepsis or meningitis, these rarely happen.
Meanwhile, some common symptoms including babies are fever, loss of appetite and lethargy.
“We advised parents to stop using the affected formulas, monitor their babies and seek treatment if they show symptoms,” he said.
