Gerber Organic Baby Food Recall Issued Due to Risk Pouches May Spoil

Certain Gerber organic baby food products have been recalled, due to a risk that processing problems may cause the food pouches to spoil during handling or transport, posing a potential risk for infants.

The Gerber food pouch recall was announced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on March 24, after at least three consumer reports were received involving children who suffered gastrointestinal problems after consuming the organic baby food, including bloating and stomach cramping.

Following the three reports of child sickness, Gerber Products Company evaluated the processing of particular lots of Geber Organic pouches, and identified a packaging defect that could result in the food prematurely spoiling during transport and handling. As a result of the food spoiling early, organisms could begin to grow in the pouches and cause children to become sick from bacterial infections.

To date, the illnesses have not been formally linked to the recalled baby food, and no severe injuries have been reported. However, the manufacturer warns that babies should not be given the food, even if the “best by” date has not passed.

The recall includes four batches of GERBER® Organic 2ND FOODS® Pouches- Pears, Carrots & Peas, 3.5 ounce pouches with UPC 15000074319 and “Best By” date codes of 12JUL2016 with batch code 51945335XX and 13JUL2016 with batch code 51955335XX. The recall also includes the GERBER® Organic 2ND FOODS® Pouches in the Carrots, Apples and Mangoes flavor that were packaged in 3.5 ounce pouches with UPC code 15000074395. These products are labeled with “Best By” dates of 13JUL2016 with batch code 51955335XX and 14JUL2016 with batch code 51965335XX.

The recalled products were manufactured by Gerber Product Company and were distributed throughout the U.S. to various retailers nationwide and online.

According to Gerber President and Chief Executive Gary Tickle, parents may be able to visually identify whether the product has prematurely spoiled by noticing that the pouches are bloated or if when opened the food contains an off-taste or odor. Parents and caregivers are being encouraged to verify whether their Gerber pouch products are included in the recall before feeding them to children.

Gerber announced in the recall that they are currently working to retrieve all of the impacted food pouch products and are encouraging consumers to stop using the recalled product immediately. Customers with recalled products may contact the Gerber Parents Resource Center at 1-800-706-0556 to receive a replacement coupon.