The Food and Drug administration (FDA) admitted to having knowledge of a deadly bacteria detected in a type of baby formula months before the brand was recalled.
In November, the FDA inspected the Reckitt plant, where Enfamil ProSobee Simply Plant-Based Infant Formula is made, and detected Cronobacter bacteria at the Zeeland, Michigan facility, Politico reported.
Despite the initial contaminated batch being destroyed, another 145,000 cans were recalled after the bacteria was found in the formula. The February recall came around five months after the discovery of Cronobacter, which the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says "can be deadly for young infants."
Symptoms in babies include fever, poor feeding, excessive crying, low energy, seizures, spine swelling, and bloodstream infections. No illnesses from the batches have been reported at this time.
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"As part of the FDA’s oversight to ensure safe and nutritious infant formula, the agency’s more recent engagements with manufacturers through inspections and ongoing meetings has limited the scope of these recalls and minimized disruptions to the market," an FDA spokesperson told Politico regarding the recall.
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"Compared to the Abbott recall… the recent recalls are much narrower in scope, only impacting a few weeks of product with no additional facility closures," the FDA said in a statement.
FDA and Reckitt did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's requests for comment.
In 2021, the United States experienced a shortage of baby formula after the detection of Cronobacter caused the shutdown of an Abbott Nutrition Michigan production plant. The bacteria reportedly led to at least four infant illnesses, including two deaths.
In a 10-page report following the shortage, the FDA blamed outdated systems for failing to address a whistleblower complaint about problems at the facility.
House Republicans recently opened an investigation into the agency's handling of the 2021 baby formula shortage, calling on FDA Commissioner Robert Califf to provide further information regarding their "poor response" to the situation.
Fox News' Julia Musto and Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
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