Four grocery chains failed to remove contaminated ByHeart baby formula from store shelves after the items were recalled. The tainted baby formula was identified as the cause of a botulism outbreak that caused 51 infants to fall ill over the last two years. Despite the recall, the product remained available for customers to purchase at Kroger, Albertsons, Target and Walmart. By conducting thousands of inspections, state and local health departments discovered contaminated product on store shelves in more than 175 stores in 36 states. In one location, the ByHeart formula remained available for purchase 3 weeks after the recall was announced. In another instance, the dangerous product recalled was being offered at a discount.
The FDA sent the offending companies warning letters requesting that they take corrective measures. Despite four follow-up emails, none of companies’ officials gave FDA any information showing that they had taken steps to make sure all the recalled items were no longer available for sale.
Full Story: Food Safety News, CNN
