Consumer Advisory: Michiganders encouraged to check their homes for recalled ByHeart Whole Nutrition Infant Formula due to potential contamination

Lansing – The Michigan Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) and Health and Human Services (MDHHS) are urging Michigan families to check their homes for recalled ByHeart Whole Nutrition Infant Formula as it might be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum. Parents and caregivers should stop using ByHeart infant formula products immediately. This includes all lots of formula cans and single serve “anywhere pack” sticks.

ByHeart Whole Nutrition Infant Formula was available for sale online and at a variety of stores nationwide. ByHeart formula may also be available through online marketplaces but should not be sold or purchased.  If your child consumed any ByHeart products and is not currently showing symptoms, continue monitoring them and seek medical attention if symptoms develop. If families still have the recalled formula in their home, they should take a photo or record the information on the bottom of the package and keep the container in a safe spot and be sure to label that product as DO NOT USE. If your child develops symptoms, MDHHS or the local health department may want to collect the formula container for testing. If your child does not develop symptoms after 30 days, throw your containers out.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in collaboration with the California Department of Public Health’s (CDPH) Infant Botulism Treatment and Prevention Program (IBTPP), and other state and local partners, continue to investigate a multistate outbreak of infant botulism. A map with current case information is available online. Infant botulism is a rare but serious illness that occurs when Clostridium botulinum spores are ingested and then colonize the intestinal tract, producing botulinum neurotoxins in the immature gut of infants. Symptoms of infant botulism, which is diagnosed clinically, can take as long as several weeks to develop following formula ingestion. If your child has consumed ByHeart Whole Nutrition Infant Formula and is experiencing signs and symptoms of botulism such as poor feeding, loss of head control, difficulty swallowing, or decreased facial expression, seek immediate medical attention.

CDPH IBTPP has opened a hotline for concerned parents and caregivers. The toll-free Infant Botulism Outbreak Hotline can be reached at 833-398-2022 and is open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Pacific Time (PT). Parents can also visit the dedicated CDPH IBTTP website at https://infantbotulism.org/

Retailers should ensure recalled products are not on store shelves, including products returned by customers. MDARD inspectors will continue to conduct recall audit checks to ensure recalled products are not being offered for sale.

According to the CDC’s website, parents should also wash any items and surfaces that have been in contact with or touched the formula with hot soapy water or in a dishwasher.

This is an ongoing federal investigation. For additional information and updates about the ByHeart investigation and recall, please visit either FDA’s website or CDC’s website. 

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