Nara Organics is recalling all its infant formula after a multistate botulism outbreak

The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention contacted Nara Organics on Friday, June 12, 2026, with information linking three infant botulism cases to the formula, the company said. Hospitalized across three states — California, Washington, and Pennsylvania — the babies ranged from 2 to 5 months of age at the time they fell ill in April and May, and each received BabyBIG, the antitoxin approved to treat infant botulism. No deaths have been reported.

The three specific product lots the affected infants consumed are 709125280E14F2, 709125288E14F2, and 708125174E14F2, the company said. Testing has not identified Clostridium botulinum — the organism responsible for infant botulism — in any lot of the formula, yet Nara Organics has chosen to pull every product it currently has on the market.

The recalled formula was distributed nationally at Target $TGT stores, Target.com, and Nara.com between July 2025 and June 2026. The product is manufactured in Europe but sold only in the U.S., according to the CDC. The FDA said Nara Organics accounts for less than 1% of all infant formula sold in the U.S. and that the recall is not expected to affect the nation's formula supply, according to ABC News.

When Clostridium botulinum spores are swallowed by an infant and take hold in the gut, they release toxins that damage the nervous system — a rare but potentially dangerous condition known as infant botulism. Affected infants may develop constipation, trouble feeding, and a weakened or unusual cry, along with low muscle tone, sagging eyelids, difficulty swallowing, and compromised breathing. The CDC has warned that untreated cases can progress to full respiratory failure, with some infants requiring extended hospital stays lasting several weeks.

Caregivers should stop using the product immediately. Any formula still in the home should be marked "Do Not Use" and set apart from other food items, the FDA said, because state health authorities may need to collect samples as part of their investigation. If a baby has consumed the formula and is showing symptoms, caregivers should contact a healthcare provider immediately.

Nara Organics said it will automatically refund consumers who purchased formula from Nara.com in May and June 2026. Other customers can request a refund through Nara's website. Target customers may return the product to a Target retail location or through Target's online return process.

A ByHeart formula recall stemming from a separate infant botulism outbreak preceded this one by less than a year; the FDA reported in a June 2 update that the ByHeart outbreak had produced approximately 48 illnesses, 28 of which were confirmed.