There's been a spike in recalls for food and medication over the last couple of months.
Just last week, multiple blood pressure drugs were recalled due to a "life-threatening" mixup and cancer risk. Prior to that, the FDA issued a nationwide recall for thyroid medication over risk of impurities.
Cereal giant Kellogg's also had a recall warning back in June for their Honey Smacks cereal, but the situation seems to have escalated since. As of this month, 130 Salmonella cases, believed to have caused by consumption of the cereal, have been reported in 36 states.
This week, families have another reason to be concerned after CVS decided to pull Enfamil, a popular baby formula, off their shelves.
Although this isn't a recall, the drugstore is taking precautions after a mother in Florida reported that a formula she bought from CVS had been tampered with.
Alison Denning told WFTS News that the protective seal didn't seem to have been affected when she made the purchase, but when she opened the tub later, she noticed that the safety seal was broken and the powder formula was replaced with a white substance that smelled like "typical baking flour."
Once this information reached CVS and the manufacturer, Denning was sent a shipping box so the tainted formula could be sent for testing.
CVS initially removed all Enfamil formulas from the location where the mom made the purchase, but they have since expanded the removal to all of their stores nationwide.
"Enfamil powder is temporarily unavailable in our stores due to an internal review being conducted by CVS Pharmacy. Our store employees can assist customers with finding an alternative product in the meantime. We apologize for any inconvenience," said in a statement to WFTS.
Unfortunately, Denning's case is not a one-off. A child in Arizona was also affected by a tampered Enfamil AR formula, reported KVOA last month.
Chelsea Bellinger, a first-time mom, discovered that the product she bought from Walmart was filled with flour instead of formula.
"I was very scared," Bellinger said. "As a first-time mom and her being this young, as a baby you don't know if they're allergic or if her throat would've closed up from a gluten reaction."
In 2017, another baby in Tucson, Arizona became ill after consuming formula that was replaced with flour and other substances. Soon after, a 30-year-old woman was charged with tampering.
According to a statement on Tucson PD's Facebook page, "Through the course of the investigation, detectives learned Ms. Laplante had purchased the baby formula, replaced the contents and returned the formula to the four stores initially provided for a refund."
Thankfully, both of these children turned out fine, but not everyone is always so lucky. As stores and manufactures continue their investigation, these parents are urging moms and dads to be extra careful.
If your child drinks Enfamil, there is no need to panic at this time. The situation will become clearer once CVS finishes testing the product and shares an update. For now, the best thing to do is be very vigilant when you purchase baby formula, regardless of the brand. Make sure the protective seal is intact and verify if the powder doesn't look or smell weird.
If you suspect something is wrong, contact the store you bought it from and the manufacturer, so like CVS, they can take the necessary steps to devise a solution. If you bought it from CVS, you can call 1-800-BABY123 to report the incident.