Cereulide in infant formula, undeclared egg in ciabatta rolls, and a botulism risk in a supplement bottle. If any of that made you stand up and head for the kitchen, good — stay with us. This is Food Recall Watch, and the week has officially gotten meaner. We started with pantry seasonings on Monday, and now we’re at formula for infants under twelve months. Three different things to check: the formula tin, the bread basket, and the supplement shelf. And I want to give the a2 Platinum story the room it didn’t get earlier this week. And I want to know whether a Meijer shopper standing in the formula aisle right now has any clue this recall even exists. A narrow retail footprint does not mean quick cleanup. From People:
The Food and Drug Administration(FDA) issued a notice on Saturday, May 2, confirming that the company was recalling batches of its a2 Platinum Premium USA 0-12 months tins after testing found the presence of the toxin, cereulide. It is sold only in the U.S.
a2 Milk Company has voluntarily recalled three batches of a2 Platinum Premium USA infant formula, the 0-12 months tins, after testing turned up cereulide, a toxin produced by Bacillus cereus. The FDA notice is dated May 2. It was sold through the company’s website, Amazon, and Meijer stores. Narrow distribution doesn’t mean this stays contained. We saw how long people were sorting out the Farm Boy microgreens situation, and that was salad greens. This is infant formula. A Meijer shopper might catch a shelf tag if the store moved fast enough, but what I want to know is whether Amazon buyers got a direct email or just watched the listing disappear. And this is the part caregivers need to hear: cereulide is heat-stable. Boiling water, warming the bottle, none of that neutralizes the toxin. So the usual prep step does not make this safe. No mold, no smell, no color change — nothing warns you. It’s an invisible toxin in a product fed to infants under 12 months, so the only move is checking whether your tin is in one of those three batches. And I want the batch numbers in the notice, not just “three batches,” because if the code is buried, that’s not helpful to a parent at 6 a.m. From Rachel Davis at WIBX 950:
The grocery chain is recalling select Nature’s Promise ciabatta rolls after discovering the products may be missing an important allergen warning on the packaging. According to the recall notice, certain rolls sold in Hannaford bakery departments could contain egg that was not declared on the label.
The Hannaford Nature’s Promise ciabatta roll recall had the purchase window yesterday, May 10 through 18, and today Rachel Davis at WIBX 950 gives us the full product details: two SKUs, the plain ciabatta rolls, 8-pack, 13.5 ounces, UPC 04126877522; and the cheddar ciabatta rolls, 8-pack, 16 ounces, UPC 04126877708. Undeclared egg. Both are Hannaford’s own brand under Nature’s Promise. I’ll give Hannaford credit here: two UPCs, two package sizes, a named purchase window. That’s a recall notice you can actually use standing in front of your fridge. My question is whether the shelf sign in the bread aisle went up before this WIBX story, or whether shoppers heard it here first. If you’ve got a Hannaford receipt from that May 10-to-18 window and either of those UPCs, don’t eat the rolls if there’s any egg sensitivity in your household. Hannaford says to check the pantry and refrigerator. The story is confirmed, the action item hasn’t changed from yesterday, and there’s no reason to sit on this one. The Educated Patient, with Lana Pine:
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that Liquid Blenz Corp is voluntarily recalling its Good Brain Tonic due to a potential risk of botulism, a rare but serious form of foodborne illness. The recall applies to all lots of the product, which was sold nationwide in both 16-ounce and 32-ounce amber bottles through retail stores and online.
Good Brain Tonic, made by Liquid Blenz Corp: all lots, both the 16-ounce and 32-ounce amber bottles, sold nationwide in stores and online. The FDA notice says botulism risk, and there were no illnesses reported as of the recall date. Cornell Food Venture Center testing, plus follow-up field testing by New York State Agriculture and Markets, is what triggered the contamination flag. One thing to be clear about: this is a supplement tonic, not a conventional food. That matters, because it’s probably in your supplement cabinet, not your pantry. And the move here is to return it to where you bought it for a full refund, not toss it. “All lots” with no lot-code qualifier is actually the cleaner version. You don’t have to squint at a batch number — you just pull every bottle you have. I’ll take that over a vague “certain lots” any day. That said, botulism in a brain supplement sold through retail and online is not a “watch for symptoms” situation. Early signs are weakness, dizziness, and double vision. If any of that sounds familiar after drinking this, that’s an ER call, not a wait-and-see. If you spot a recall we should be tracking, or you have a correction or question, send it our way at foodrecallwatch at lantern podcasts dot com. We read every note.
We’ve put links to all of today’s recall notices and related details in the show notes, so you can check the items that matter most to your kitchen, pantry, or shopping list.
That’s Food Recall Watch for today. This is a Lantern Podcast.