Parents Urged To Check Formula After Babies Develop Rare Illness

Nara Organics baby formula was recalled from stores nationwide and online on Saturday after a multi-state outbreak of infant botulism.

Three infants ranging from 2-5 months old from California, Washington, and Pennsylvania became ill with botulism after they were fed Nara Organics Whole Milk Organic Infant Formula. The infants were hospitalized and treated with BabyBIG (Botulism Immune Globulin Intravenous), which is an IV medication created from the blood plasma of people immunized against botulism. There have been no deaths, the CDC reported.

Infant botulism occurs in babies under 1 year old who swallow Clostridium botulinum spores, which settle in the immature intestinal tract and produce botulinum neurotoxins. This leads to symptoms such as constipation, poor feeding, ptosis (drooping eyelid), sluggish pupils, low muscle tone, difficulty sucking and swallowing, weak or altered cry, generalized weakness, respiratory difficulty, and possibly respiratory arrest, according to the FDA. Even though infant botulism is rare, it can be fatal.

“We believe in taking the strongest possible measure to protect the safety of babies. That’s why we quickly decided, in an abundance of caution, to voluntarily recall all Nara Organics infant formula currently available in the U.S.,” Nara Organics said. 

The CDC advised all parents who have any Nara Organics products to either return them or throw them away. It also told parents to take a picture of the lot code and use-by date, consider keeping any opened formula for state health department testing, and seek immediate medical attention if their baby develops symptoms. If no symptoms emerge after a month, parents can throw the leftover formula away.

As of June 13, no Nara Organics formula has tested positive for C. botulinum. 

This case follows ByHeart’s Whole Nutrition Infant Formula recall in November 2025, when a botulism outbreak affected 48 babies from 17 different states after being fed the formula. As of June 10, 2026, last year’s recall is still in place, according to ByHeart’s recall information page. 

“The safety and well-being of every infant who uses our formula is our absolute highest priority,” said Mia Funt, ByHeart’s co-founder and president. “We take any potential safety concern extremely seriously, and act quickly to protect families. As parents ourselves, we understand the concern this news may raise.”