Foreign Object found in Formula Tin

[kamoo]

Today I was feeding Jarred and noticed a small twig in his bottle.

Has anyone else had this happen to them?

I have contacted the company and they have asked me to send the formula and the foreign object back to them (they are paying for the postage) as they need to have it tested.

Is there something else I should do?

All I can say is that I am glad I wasn't feeding it to him in a cup.

K

[Chickadee]

How scary!

I haven't ever found anything foreign in food, but i have seen ads for food recalls due to the possibility of foreign objects. Usually it's bits of plastic but sometimes glass.

I'm not sure there's anything else you can do. But hope you get some sort of answer from them in the end.

[kamoo]

Thanks for your response Martha,

Just wondering how this recall thing works.

The company in question said it would take 3 weeks to test it. So by the time I get the pack to post the formula back to the company (from Port Augusta), it will take at least a month or more for the results to come through. By then all of that batch would have been sold.

Should I post the batch number on this site? The tin might be just a one off and not have affected any other tins?!

The object would be thin enough to go through the teat, specially the way my little one attacks it at times.

Karina

[kamoo]

Me again,

We were actually thinking of changing formula as in the last 4/5 days it has been a constant battle to feed Jarred. The formula was coagulating in the top of the bottle and I would have to scrape this out (thought I was doing something wrong with the bottles, like not making sure they were completely dry or something). He would only take 40 to 50 mls at a time, and this would take a few rests in between just to get that down. Hence the feeding every hour (thought it might be a phase, now I am wondering if it was or not?).

Now that I have opened a new tin, he has had one lot of 120 and another of 175 mls 4 hours apart. And with no fights or crying and no stomache rumbles. And he has kept the majority of it down.

Will give it another day, if he is still feeding well HB says he is going to ring Wyeth and give them a mouthful.

Karina

[madvoice]

I'd post the product and the batch number on this site to warn others of potential foreign objects. Look at how proactive they were with Snickers/Mars bars. They should be just as proactive with baby formula, if not more so. I think it was a good thing you contacted them but I'd be more public with it. Take photos of the object if you have a digital camera for reference. That sort of stuff scares me as you don't know WHAT it is.

[kamoo]

Above is the product that I found the small stick in.

Has anyone else had a problem where some of the formula sticks to the top of the bottle and does not disolve??

I have seen photo's on some of the posts, how do I do this? Then I can leave a pic of what was found. The object is only small, but large enough to do some damage.

Karina

[madvoice]

I have a webhosting site. If you want you can e-mail the pic to me and I can post it for you :D Alternatively you can go to www.photobucket.com and get a free account for uploading pictures. You can just copy and paste the URL if you want.

Here's my e-mail just in case :D

(madvoice(at)smartchat.net.au)

[razzle]

When I was using formula I'd put the water in first, then the formula, and give it a good shake, side to side and up and down. If it's clagging up the teat then use the little discs that come with the bottle to shake it.

I'd phone the consumer hotline number that's on the tin - assuming it has one and speak to someone directly.

[kamoo]

I always make up 3 bottles at a time and always use the discs.

I have noticed with the new tin, that it disolves instantly, maybe it was just that tin.

Heres hoping.

K

[madvoice]

Here are the pics. Kamoo e-mailled them to me.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v210/madvoice/S26Pic2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v210/madvoice/S26pic1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v210/madvoice/S26pic3.jpg

Its scary to look at.

[kamoo]

Thanks for posting the pics for me.

At first I thought it was a reflection from the side table that the bottle was placed on. While feeding I had to put the bottle down several times as Jarred was going ape (yet again) and I noticed something again but this time it seemed to move in the bottle (I know for a fact that it was not in the water as that is what you are looking at while placeing the correct measurement of water in the bottle. I also use a see through jug to cool the boiled water in).

So swirling the bottle around it showed up a couple of times, so decided to empty the bottle of formula into a container to find out what it was. (I thought my mind might be playing tricks on me).

It is like a very very small twig, well plant like anyway.

I am really glad that this sort of thing doesn't happen that often, specially with baby formula. Or maybe it does and we just don't know about it.

Would still like to find out why the formula wasn't disolving properly? Anyone have any ideas?

K

[Chickadee]

We occassionally get formula stuck to the side of the bottle, with several different brands that I've tried. As Boomtish said, usually it dissolves when you shake the bottle up, especially after it's warmed. But I do still occassionally find a lump of undissolved formula at the end of the bottle. I've always assumed that I was in a hurry and didn't mix it well enough.

I did notice when I was in Canada that the formula I used there was finer, smaller particles, and dissolved easier. It was made by Wyeth too.

[razzle]

There is an online question form for Wyeth: http://www.wyethnutrition.com.au/na_contact_us.asp?menu_id=1&menu_item_id=1

I've just sent them a link to this post with my contact details - if they decide to contact me I'll let you all know.

[madvoice]

Thanks Boomtish. It'll be interesting to see what response you get.

[poopcleaner]

Hey Karina, guess who????


Hope he is feeling better and I'll call you soon...

[razzle]

Well, I had a phonecall from Wyeth about an hour ago - quick response I must say - and they said yes, it does take about three weeks for it to be tested because they have to send it back to the manufacturing plant. When I asked if they had to recall the batch or anything they said no, there was about 50,000 tins in a batch and unlikely to be contaminated. I don't think they actually looked at the post but when I explained what the thing looked like, she said often a bit of formula caramelises and it looks a bit stick-ish.

Anyway, they did say to send it back to them and they would replace it, all at no charge to you Karina. And there's nothing else to be done. She did say that they take all phonecalls to the hotline seriously and always advise consumers to send the tin in question back to them (at their cost) for a replacement.

Good luck!

[madvoice]

In my opinion Wyeth aren't really doing enough. What if it isn't 'caramelised formula' what if its something toxic? Its like they absolve themselves from all blame. One thing is for sure, I won't be using their product when I have to switch my daughter over to formula in a couple of months.

[caroline b]

Dear Karina
I have been using formula (S-26) for 5 months and the co-agulating thing has just started happening for me as well. I have found that if you get the lumps at the top of the bottle happening, if you warm the mixture up a bit more, the lumps will then dissolve when you shake it again.
Regards
Caroline

[kamoo]

Thanks everyone,

My other half bought another tin from the same shop but forgot to check the batch number. So we ended up having another tin from the same batch. The formula usually doesn't have a distinct smell but these two from this batch smells like sour milk and is more stickier than usual (hence the clumping in the bottle). Needless to say I returned the tin to Big W and got a refund.

Something I will do now is check out all formula more carefully when I open it and return it if I think it is not quite right. I do not wish to go through the same drama with Jarred because of bad formula again (what a nightmare).

When they say caramelised what do they mean? This is a stick it was actually in the bottle that I made up and was limp while wet, now that it has dried it is a hard twig/stick?

K

[madvoice]

Caremelisation would probably occur if somewhere in the manufacturing process the formula powder was heated too high and it burns. Think of when you make toffee, it starts of white but when the sugar caremelises the colour changes and it becomes much stickier and congealed.

Its a good thing you took the other tin back. I'd be making darn sure that any tin that you picked up was not from the same batch, even if Wyeth seem to think the'd be ok.

I told my friend about it the other day as she's feeding the lactose free version to keep an eye out for any weird stuff in her powder.

[kamoo]

11 July 2005

Wyeth Nutritional Careline
Reply Paid 72571

Dear Careline,

Enclosed is the tin that I found the stick in.

I would also like to inform you that the formula gave my 9 week old son dierreah and he also started projectile vomiting. I also had problems feeding him. He would constantly cry & scream while trying to finish his bottle. He was throwing up left right and centre. I thought it was just a phase, but as soon as I opened a new tin of formula, all of the problems he had been experiencing stopped completely. He was so hungry that he polished off two 180ml bottles within 3 hours.

Jarred did not have any of the above problems until we started using the said tin.

My partner also bought another tin of the same batch and when we opened it, it had the same smell (sour or off milk) as the previous tin. The second tin we returned to Big W in Port Augusta as we did not wish to put Jarred through that nightmare again.

This hasn’t stopped us from buying S-26, although we will check all tins that we buy and if we are not confident with the formula, we will continue to return them.

Kind regards,

Karina

[mimi]

Has anyone else had a problem where some of the formula sticks to the top of the bottle and does not disolve??

You might want to read through this thread [on another forum]

http://huggies.kcaforums.com/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=66531

Awful isn't it!!

[kamoo]

Thanks for that, interesting reading, and I am glad that I am not the only one that has had this problem.

I did send off a short email to A CURRENT AFFAIR, but never heard anything back. Maybe more of us should suggest a story regarding regulations for formula over their internet site??

K

[jarrahsmumma]

hi all, quite scary reading your posts, i can say i noticed something in my sons bottle once A MOTH! luckily i hadn't given him any of it i think it came from the kettle, thats just too weird to come out of the formula tin :)

also just a note and i guess a plug for heinz, it is GE free (geneticaly engineered free), it doesn't smell and it mixes well (also alot cheaper usually $10-$11 a tin) i used Karicare sensiKare when he was little and found it smelt, it clogged and was very expensive.

peace
Natalie