Reports of Baby Formula Tampering

[mle]

http://www.vancouversun.com/health/B...933/story.html

OTTAWA — A child reportedly became ill after ingesting powdered baby formula that was tampered with and sold in Nepean, a suburb of Ottawa.
The child was not hospitalized and is now better, said Garfield Balsam, food safety and recall specialist with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
The agency sent out an advisory to the Ottawa public Friday night stating that three 900 g cans of Nestlé Good Start Iron Fortified Infant Formula contained powder that appeared to be flour.
“We do have the product in the lab to confirm that,” Balsam said.
A consumer purchased one can and the other two were found on shelves at two grocery stores in Nepean.
“It’s not usual, tampering is always a concern to us,” Balsam said, adding that there was a similar incident in the province a couple of years ago. The motive for that incident was monetary gain, he said.
Consumers should ensure the metal or foil top under the can’s plastic lid is sealed properly, the agency stated.
The CFIA lists steps to take if a suspicious food product is found: isolate the food, notify authorities and keep information regarding the product on hand.
Meanwhile, the agency and the Ottawa Police Service are investigating the case.

For more information, individuals can call Nestlé Consumer Services at 1-800-387-5536 (8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET, Monday to Friday and Sept. 18 and 19 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET) or CFIA at 1-800-442-2342/TTY 1-800-465-7735 (8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET, Monday to Friday).


Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/health/B...#ixzz0zu6Q55be

Just a heads up to parents in Ottawa. I don't think there's any way to find out if your formula was affected as it is under investigation, but if something's suspicious (ex. ripped seal, difference in colour/consistency) beware.

[GoJays]

a seriously heinous crime, i hope they catch the dirtbags

[bargain_hunter_lola]

What is wrong with some people? That's just sick!

They should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.

Disgusting.

[Turkish_DeLight]

i cant believe people can be that low like honestly?!

[Mia001]

how can someone do that ??...

[francine1985]

disgusting!!!!!

[Sally888]

I bet you it was flour. Some dirtbags probaly used the forumla then returned it saying it was "the wrong kind" or something.....

[DiamondLil]

Scumbags - who would (who could?) tamper with infant food? Why on earth would anyone want to harm a helpless baby?

This is just so wrong.

[Natalka]

That is SO SICK!!!! We had a similar incident in a Zellers here maybe a year ago...

But that's why some (why not all?) have a policy of throwing any item like food or OTC meds, which is returned. We had a thread on that a while back.

[lekate]

I bet you it was flour. Some dirtbags probaly used the forumla then returned it saying it was "the wrong kind" or something.....

Yup, got so bad at my Loblaws (in Nepean too) stopped doin formula returns unless they were properly sealed. Customers were referred to the product company for any returns. (A lot of scams are done with these products, that and protein powders and perfumes)

I've had people do that with orange juice (yea right, it's the wrong one, but you still drank it all and filled it with water when trying to return it)

[Insane]

It comes up once and awhile. And you're right, we did have a thread awhile ago...talking about how stores throw it out when you return it (and other foods, ect...)

Although I have to say...IF was just plain flour...how do you not notice? Formula and flour don't look that much alike.

[Eva-M]

wow
This is scary!

I totally agree with Natalka - they should of not been put back on shelves.

In the meantime; how can you use a can that's been opened? That's at first a very suspicious hint for anyone....

[mle]

wow
This is scary!

I totally agree with Natalka - they should of not been put back on shelves.

In the meantime; how can you use a can that's been opened? That's at first a very suspicious hint for anyone....

I was thinking the same thing.
Maybe they reseal it somehow? I mean if it's glued they just glue it back or whatever.

Maybe the seal was open even slighty but they thought hey, it's probably nothing harmful. Besides formula's expensive and maybe some wouldn't see the hassle in trying to return it if it's opened (probably after things like this there won't be any returns).because people would think THEY did it.

I also agree that these items shouldn't be returned to shelves, and if some are they should be inspected for seals etc. and their information kept on record just like when you return things at some stores.

Disgusting.

[frugal.tea]

That's horrible.

[lekate]

I read the article the other day, it happened in the same mall area as my store. What do you know. Got to love scammers in the suburbs.