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If you feed your baby Nara Organics formula, federal health officials have an urgent message: stop using it now. On June 13, 2026, Nara Organics recalled all of its Whole Milk Organic Infant Formula after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and state health partners linked the product to a multistate outbreak of infant botulism. Three infants in three states have been hospitalized. For parents, the news is frightening, but the steps to protect your baby are clear, and the odds of your child being affected remain low. Here is what happened, what infant botulism actually is, and exactly what to do if this formula is in your home.
What Was Recalled and Why
The recall covers all Nara Organics Whole Milk Organic Infant Formula, a powdered formula sold at Target retail stores, Target.com, and Nara.com. According to the CDC, federal and state investigators tied the product to three confirmed or suspected cases of infant botulism in California, Pennsylvania, and Washington, with illnesses beginning between April and May 2026. All three infants were hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.
The timeline moved quickly once the pattern emerged. The California Department of Public Health’s Infant Botulism Treatment and Prevention Program identified three type A botulism infections among infants who had consumed the formula. On June 12, 2026, the FDA notified the company about the outbreak and recommended a recall. The next day, June 13, Nara Organics agreed to recall all of its Nara Organics brand Whole Milk Organic Infant Formula. The investigation remains open.
One piece of reassurance from federal officials: Nara Organics makes up less than 1 percent of all infant formula available in the United States, and authorities do not expect the recall to cause shortages. Most families who need to switch should be able to find an alternative formula without difficulty.
What Infant Botulism Is
Infant botulism is a rare but serious illness that occurs when a baby swallows spores of a bacterium called Clostridium botulinum. Inside an infant’s immature digestive system, those spores can grow and produce a toxin that attacks the nerves. It is different from the food poisoning adults can get from improperly canned foods, and babies cannot pass it to other people.
The illness tends to develop slowly, which is part of what makes it tricky to spot. The CDC notes that infant botulism often begins with constipation, but the first thing parents usually notice is difficulty feeding, meaning trouble sucking and swallowing, along with a weak or altered cry and a loss of muscle tone that can make a baby seem floppy. Specific warning signs federal health officials urge parents to watch for include:
- Poor feeding, or trouble sucking and swallowing
- A weak, altered, or unusually quiet cry
- Loss of head control or a floppy, limp appearance
- Decreased facial expression
- Constipation
Left untreated, infant botulism can progress to muscle weakness that affects breathing and may require weeks of hospital care. The encouraging news is that it is treatable. Doctors use a medication called BabyBIG, and the Infant Botulism Treatment and Prevention Program runs a consultation line for clinicians 24 hours a day. When caught and treated, most infants recover fully.
What Parents Should Do Right Now
If you have Nara Organics Whole Milk Organic Infant Formula at home, the CDC recommends the following steps:
- Stop using it immediately. Do not feed your baby any of the recalled formula, regardless of the lot number.
- Throw away or return unopened cans. You can discard them or return them for a refund.
- Handle an opened can carefully. Health officials suggest photographing the can and recording the lot number and use by date, then writing “DO NOT USE” on it and storing it safely away from your baby’s other food for at least a month. If your infant develops symptoms, your state health department may want to test it. If no symptoms appear after a month, you can throw it away.
- Clean thoroughly. Wash any items and surfaces that may have touched the formula with hot soapy water or run them through the dishwasher.
- Watch your baby for a month. Symptoms can take several weeks to appear, so keep an eye out for the warning signs above for a full month after your infant last consumed the product.
- Seek care fast if your baby seems ill. If your infant consumed the formula and shows any signs of botulism, get medical attention right away. You can report the product to the FDA afterward, but care for your child comes first.
If you need to switch formulas, talk to your pediatrician about a comparable option. In most cases you can transition between infant formulas without a gradual mixing period, but your pediatrician can advise based on your baby’s needs.
A Troubling Pattern
This is the second infant formula botulism outbreak in the United States in roughly half a year, and the overlap has caught the attention of safety experts. In November 2025, federal and state officials investigated a separate multistate outbreak of infant botulism linked to ByHeart Whole Nutrition infant formula, which led to a nationwide recall of all lots. The CDC declared that outbreak over on February 26, 2026.
The two events are separate, but they share notable similarities. Both involved whole milk powder ingredients and the same type A botulinum toxin. Reporting on the Nara recall has also noted that, during the earlier ByHeart episode, the company had pointed customers toward other brands, underscoring how few large players dominate the formula market and how quickly a problem with one product can ripple through anxious families. Two outbreaks tied to a similar ingredient in a short span has prompted renewed questions about how powdered formula is tested and monitored for these spores.
For parents, the takeaway is not panic but awareness. Infant formula in the United States remains heavily regulated and overwhelmingly safe, and recalls like this one are evidence that the surveillance system is working as intended, catching a problem and pulling a product. Our earlier roundup of June baby product recalls is a useful reminder that staying current on safety alerts is part of the job.
How to Stay Informed
The simplest way to keep up with recalls is to sign up for free alerts from the agencies that issue them. The FDA covers food and infant formula, the Consumer Product Safety Commission covers toys, furniture, and baby gear, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration covers car seats. Registering your formula and baby products with the manufacturer also means you will be contacted directly if a recall is issued.
It is worth saving your pediatrician’s after hours number somewhere easy to find, and keeping the number for your regional poison control or infant botulism program handy as well. In a moment of worry about a floppy or poorly feeding baby, having those contacts ready can save precious time. For another recent safety alert worth knowing about, see our coverage of the recall of relaxing baby swim floats.
The Bottom Line
Three babies hospitalized is three too many, and any parent who has used this formula has every reason to feel shaken. But the response from health officials has been swift, the affected product is a small slice of the market, alternatives are available, and infant botulism, while serious, is treatable when caught early. If Nara Organics formula is in your home, set it aside today, switch to another option with your pediatrician’s guidance, and watch your baby closely over the next month. Acting promptly on a recall is one of the most protective things a parent can do, and it is exactly what this situation calls for.
Why Powdered Formula Can Carry This Risk
Many parents are surprised to learn that powdered infant formula is not sterile. Unlike ready to feed liquid formula, which is processed to be free of live bacteria, powdered formula can contain small amounts of bacteria or, rarely, spores that survive the drying process. Most healthy babies handle trace amounts without any problem, but very young infants have immature gut systems that can let certain spores, including those behind infant botulism, take hold and produce toxin. This is one reason pediatric guidance pays such close attention to how formula is prepared and stored.
To lower everyday risk with any powdered formula, the basics still apply. Wash your hands and clean the preparation area before mixing. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for water temperature, since some guidance calls for hotter water to reduce bacteria. Use prepared formula promptly, refrigerate it if you are not using it right away, and discard any formula left in the bottle after a feeding rather than saving it for later. For families with premature or medically fragile infants, your pediatrician may recommend ready to feed formula, which carries the lowest contamination risk. None of these steps would necessarily have prevented this particular outbreak, which appears tied to the product itself, but they are sound habits that protect against a range of risks.
It is also worth repeating that infant botulism is uncommon. Most cases in the United States are not linked to formula at all, and the illness is treatable when recognized early. The point is not to fear feeding your baby, but to act decisively when a specific product is recalled and to know the warning signs so you can move fast if they appear.