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LA, December 15th (Reporter: Tan Jingjing) The US Food and Drug Administration released a statement on December 15th, saying that in recent days, multiple states in the US have continuously reported poisoning cases related to the consumption of infant formula that may be contaminated with botulinum bacteria. Although the involved enterprises launched a comprehensive recall of the products in November, some retailers still failed to promptly remove the products from the shelves. The FDA has sent warning letters to several retailers, demanding that they fulfill their recall obligations.

The FDA previously stated that epidemiological and laboratory test results showed that the "all-nutrition infant formula" produced by the ByHeart company, an infant formula manufacturer in the US, might be contaminated with botulinum bacteria, causing illness in infants across multiple US states. The investigation revealed that all the affected children had consumed this formula before their illness.

ByHeart Company announced the recall of all "all-nutrition infant formula" products, including canned and single-serve packaged formulas, in November. The related products were previously sold in major retailers and online platforms across the US.

The FDA stated that within a few weeks of the recall being initiated, its investigators, in collaboration with state public health departments, conducted over 4,000 inspections of retail stores across the US to ensure that the problem products would no longer be sold to consumers. The inspections found that some stores still had the problem products not removed from the shelves. The affected stores were located in over 175 inspection sites in 36 states. Last week, the FDA sent warning letters to several large retailers, including Walmart, Target, and Kroger, emphasizing the key responsibilities of retailers in food recalls.

The FDA requires the retailers that receive the warning letters to respond within 15 days, reporting the specific measures they have taken, as well as the arrangements to prevent similar violations from happening again, or submitting reasons and evidence that they have not violated relevant laws and regulations.

As of December 10th, a total of 51 suspected or confirmed cases of infant botulinum poisoning have been reported in 19 states across the US. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has expanded the case tracking scope. The FDA, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ByHeart Company, and state public health departments are continuing to investigate and test related products and cases. The results are expected to be announced in the coming weeks. (Editor: Lei Zheqiong, Jiang Jie)