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When ByHeart infant formula was linked to a nationwide outbreak of infant botulism last fall, the company encouraged its customers to switch to another premium whole milk formula made by Nara Organics.

Now Nara Organics, which has promoted the “thousands of tests” it runs on every formula batch, is recalling all of its whole milk organic powdered infant formula after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention linked it to three babies being hospitalized with infant botulism.

The CDC and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are urging parents and caregivers to immediately stop using Nara Organics Whole Milk Organic Infant formula, which is sold at Target and online. Parents should seek immediate care for their infant if they have symptoms such as poor feeding, loss of head control, difficult swallowing, or decreased facial expression.

The Nara Organics recall, which follows ByHeart’s recall in November, marks the second time in seven months that a premium organic whole milk infant formula has been linked to an outbreak of infant botulism. The recalls have fueled concerns among parents about the safety of infant formula and the effectiveness of federal oversight.

“Two outbreaks in less than a year show that ByHeart was not a unique accident,” said Sarah Sorscher, director of regulatory affairs at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer advocacy group.

Major Stores Still Selling Recalled Baby Formula Even as Botulism Outbreak Grows

“Something is very wrong in the production of these formulas, and FDA is not moving fast enough to find the cause,” Sorscher said. “The agency is currently conducting testing of milk ingredients, but that process is creeping along at a snail’s pace and they still have no advice to offer on how to control these risks.”

Nara Organics says the recall, announced Saturday, is being done “out of an abundance of caution” because of the risk that its formula is contaminated with Clostridium botulinum bacteria spores, which cause infant botulism. It can take several weeks between when a child consumes the spores and when they start showing signs of illness. If not treated, infant botulism can lead to paralysis and death.

The company said its infant formula has not tested positive for C. botulinum. The CDC said testing is underway of opened cans of Nara Organics formula and unopened product samples from the company. Results are expected “in the coming weeks,” the CDC said.

Nara Organics did not answer Healthbeat’s questions about........

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