The Food and Drug administration (FDA) admitted to having knowledge of a deadly bacteria detected in a type of baby formula months before the brand was recalled.
In November, the FDA inspected the Reckitt plant, where Enfamil ProSobee Simply Plant-Based Infant Formula is made, and detected Cronobacter bacteria at the Zeeland, Michigan facility, Politico reported.
Despite the initial contaminated batch being destroyed, another 145,000 cans were recalled after the bacteria was found in the formula. The February recall came around five months after the discovery of Cronobacter, which the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says "can be deadly for young infants."
Symptoms in babies include fever, poor feeding, excessive crying, low energy, seizures, spine swelling, and bloodstream infections. No illnesses from the batches have been reported at this time.
"As part of the FDA’s oversight to ensure safe and nutritious infant formula, the agency’s more recent engagements with manufacturers through inspections and ongoing meetings has limited the scope of these recalls and minimized disruptions to the market," an FDA spokesperson told Politico regarding the recall.
