ByHeart response to infant formula botulism outbreak draws criticism

There are a few unusual things about the infant botulism outbreak that prompted formula maker ByHeart to recall all of its products across the U.S. this week.

The first is that regulators found a link between formula and infant botulism at all. The risk from formula is generally considered very low for the potentially fatal condition, which is caused by bacterial spores found in dust and soil. (Honey contaminated with the spores is a common infant botulism cause.) So far 15 infants have been hospitalized after consuming ByHeart formula at some point. No deaths have been reported.

Even more surprising to some food safety experts is ByHeart’s response to the outbreak, from initial communications that they say minimized the risk to consumers to consistently implying that they disa