Walgreens, Kroger, and Supervalu have restocked their shelves with Mead Johnson’s Enfamil baby formula after it was cleared by the FDA. The product was not the source of a Cronobacter infection that sickened four infants in December 2011.
Enfamil formula was pulled from shelves after a Missouri infant died from a Cronobacter infection in December. Wal-Mart Stores are still deciding when to restock the product.
On December 31, 2011, U.S. regulators cleared the formula after extensive testing. Four infants, in Illinois, Florida, Missouri, and Oklahoma, became will with Cronobacter within a few weeks, which triggered the recall.
There are usually only about five cases of Cronobacter infection in the United States every year. A cluster of four cases was alarming. Other brands of infant formula were also tested, but no bacteria was found.
Officials also tested the water used to prepare the formula and the home environments. Cronobacter was found in those samples: in an open container of infant formula, in prepared infant formula, and in an open bottle of water.
