Wal-Mart Pulls Baby Formula After Newborn’s Death (VIDEO)
Consumer giant Wal-Mart has pulled packages of infant formula off of shelves this week after a Missouri infant caught a rare bacterial infection and died.
Newborn Avery Cornett fell gravely after consuming the formula. His family took him to the hospital after he displayed signs of a stomach ache and doctors determined that the child was infected with the rare Cronobacter sakazakii bacteria, known to grow in infant formulas.
It is yet to be determined if the infant died due to the formula or as a result of an outside source.
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The 10-day-old boy was taken off of life support on Wednesday after it became clear that he would be unable to survive on his own.
“We extend our deepest condolences to this baby boy’s family as they try to come to grips with their loss,” said Wal-Mart spokeswoman Dianna Gee.
The powdered Enfamil Newborn infant formula was pulled from shelves in over 3,000 Wal-Mart stores nationwide, however. Gee said that the move on behalf of the mammoth retailer was “out of an abundance of caution,” according to The Associated Press.
The government has yet to officially recall the product.
The manufacturer of the formula, Mead Johnson Nutrition, said that prior to shipping the ZP1k7G lot of Enfamil formula that the product had been tested and no bacteria was detected. Following the death of Cornett, the company tested the lot for Cronobacter, but bacteria was not detected.
Wal-Mart Pulls Baby Formula from Stores“We are highly confident in the safety and quality of our products- and the rigorous testing we put them through,” a spokesman for the manufacturer said.
The infant formula was purchased in Lebanon, Mo.
Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are running tests to determine if the rare bacteria caught by baby Avery were a result of the formula, the water used to make the formula, or any other factor.
