Three babies between 2 and 5 months became ill in April and May in California, Pennsylvania and Washington after consuming Nara Organics Whole Milk Organic Powdered infant formula, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said. There are no reported deaths.
They were hospitalized and treated with the FDA-approved treatment for infant botulism, the agency said.
The three specific product lots these infants were exposed to are: 709125280E14F2, 709125288E14F2, 708125174E14F2. To date, Nara infant formula has not tested positive for C. botulinum. However, Nara is voluntarily recalling all products currently in market.
Nara Organics Powdered Infant Formula was distributed nationally across Target retail stores, Target.com, and Nara.com between July 2025 and June 2026, according to the FDA.
Affected products include:
Nara Organics Whole Milk Infant Formula, 700g, with UPC 860013251901
Nara Organics Whole Milk Infant Formula, 400g, with UPC: 860013251918
All lots currently on the market are included in this voluntary recall, and the specific codes are as follows. The lot code can be found on the bottom of each can.
408125075E14F2
708125076E14F2
708125083E14F2
408125139E14F2
708125141E14F2
708125145E14F2
708125174E14F2
709125273E14F2
709125280E14F2
709125288E14F2
409125307E14F2
70926019ENNB
70926029ENNB
70926035ENNB
70926039ENNB
70926042ENNB
Infant botulism is a rare but serious illness that occurs in babies under age 1, whose gut microbiomes are immature. It is caused when infants consume bacteria with spores that produce a toxin in the gut.
Symptoms include constipation, poor feeding, drooping eyelids, weak muscle tone, difficulty swallowing and breathing problems, among others.
Babies who develop those symptoms need immediate medical attention. The sole treatment is BabyBIG, an IV medication made from blood plasma of people immunized against botulism.
Nara Organics Whole Milk Organic Infant Formula makes up less than 1% of all infant formula sold in the United States, and the outbreak does not create shortage concerns for parents and caregivers, the FDA said.
People who have the formula are urged to stop using it immediately, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control said in a statement. The formula is manufactured in Europe but sold only in the U.S., it added.
The CDC recommended that anyone with an opened can take a picture, record the lot number and use-by date and watch their infants for symptoms.
"Label it 'DO NOT USE' and keep it stored in a safe place away from other items you feed your baby for at least a month," the CDC said. "If no symptoms appear after a month, throw the leftover formula away."
Nara will automatically refund all consumers who purchased formula from their website in May and June 2026. Other customers with unused product may request a refund by completing the refund form.
WPVI contributed to this report.