The Gerber Products Company recently announced a voluntary recall of two kinds of organic baby food sold in pouches. According to the Food and Drug Administration, the products have a packaging defect that could potentially make the baby food susceptible to spoiling while being handled and transported.
Three reports were made of youngsters suffering temporary gastrointestinal distress after consuming the products, although the FDA was unable to definitively link the symptoms with Gerber’s products.
The company’s chief executive and president stated that “in some cases, [the] pouches are bloated or product inside may have an off-taste or odor.” The products subject to the recall are “Carrots, Apples and Mangoes” and “Pears, Carrots and Peas.” Both are part of the Gerber Organic 2nd Foods Pouches line of baby foods.
Both Gerber and the FDA stated that the recalled Carrots, Apples and Mangoes had best-by dates of July 13, 2016 and July 14, 2016, with batch numbers 51955335XX and 51965335XX, respectively.
The Pears, Carrots and Peas were stamped with best-by dates of July 12, 2016 and July 13, 2016, and batch numbers of 51945335XX and 51955335XX.
The company asks that parents not feed their children any of the recalled pouches. For further instructions, consumers can contact Gerber’s Parents Resource Center at 1-800-706-0556.
If you are the parent of an infant or toddler, it’s quite likely that you have come to rely on Gerber products as being free of contaminants that could sicken your child. The company, realizing the value of their reputation in the baby food industry, responded proactively to the situation.
Consumers who experience problems with other tainted products may potentially have grounds for filing damage claims or product liability litigation for their injuries or worsened condition.
Source: CNN, “Gerber recalls two organic baby food products,” Michael Martinez, March 24, 2016