HAPPYTOT Stage 4 and Some HAPPYBABY Stage 1 & Stage 2 Baby Foods Recalled Due to Contamination Risk

by John Gomez | Last Updated: January 14, 2010

January 14, 2010 – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is recommending that the public not consume any varieties of HAPPYTOT Stage 4 and certain varieties of HAPPYBABY Stage 1 and Stage 2 baby foods in pouches distributed by Nurture Inc.

The firm is recalling these products because some pouches are leaking or swollen. Swollen or leaking pouches may indicate problems with the product, including possible contamination by bacteria that can cause illness, or that the packaging has been compromised and is at risk of bacterial contamination.

The varieties of these products that should not be consumed are as follows:

HAPPYTOT Green bean, pear & peas, NET WT. 4.22 OZ. (120g), UPC 8 52697 00127 9;
HAPPYTOT Sweet potato, carrot, apple & cinnamon, NET WT. 4.22 OZ. (120g), UPC 8 52697 00128 6;
HAPPYTOT Spinach, mango & pear, NET WT. 4.22 OZ. (120g), UPC 8 52697 00129 3;
HAPPYTOT Butternut squash & apple, NET WT. 4.22 OZ. (120g), UPC 8 52697 00130 9;
HAPPYTOT Banana, peach, coconut & prunes, NET WT. 4.22 OZ. (120g), UPC 8 52697 00131 6;
HAPPYTOT Banana, peach & mango, NET WT. 4.22 OZ. (120g), UPC 8 52697 00132 3;
HAPPYBABY Mango, NET WT. 3.5 OZ. (99g), UPC 8 52697 00134 7;
HAPPYBABY Spinach Mango Pear, NET WT. 3.5 OZ. (99g), UPC 8 52697 00139 2; and
HAPPYBABY Apricot Sweet Potato, NET WT. 3.5 OZ. (99g), UPC 8 52697 00136 1.

The above meals are packaged in plastic pouches with plastic caps and are sold at retail stores nationwide. To determine if a specific product is part of this recall, consumers should examine product packaging for expiration date codes between October 2010 and January 2011. These expiration date codes are printed as the first seven characters of a 15-character string.

After receiving a consumer complaint of a swollen pouch, the FDA contacted the company, Nurture Inc., of Brooklyn, N.Y. The agency began an investigation and found additional pouches that were swollen or leaking. FDA is conducting tests for possible bacterial contamination.

The FDA is also conducting an inspection at the contract manufacturer of these products to review its overall manufacturing process. No illnesses have been reported to the FDA to date.

Consumers who have served or consumed these products and become ill should contact their health providers immediately and report that to their FDA district office and to the company.

Consumers who see swelling, leaking, or packaging problems in any HAPPYTOT Stage 4 or HAPPYBABY Stage 1 or Stage 2 pouched baby food products should discard the products in a way that will keep people and pets from retrieving them, and should wash their hands thoroughly after handling the packages. Store personnel who handle products involved in the company recall should wash their hands thoroughly after handling packages of these products.

John Gomez

John Gomez founded the firm alone in 2005. Today, John acts as President and Lead Trial Attorney. He has been voted by his peers as a top ten San Diego litigator in three separate fields: Personal Injury, Insurance and Corporate Litigation. Since 2000, he has recovered over $800 million in settlements and verdicts for his clients with more than 160 separate recoveries of one million dollars or more. A prolific trial lawyer, John has tried to jury verdict more than 60 separate cases.

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