A three-month-old baby in Milwaukee was taken to hospital after a container bought as infant formula was found to contain what appeared to be cooking flour, according to the child’s mother, Tene Fowlkes.
Fowlkes said her partner had gone to a nearby petrol station late at night after the family ran out of formula and could not find an open shop.
The baby remained unsettled the following morning, prompting Fowlkes to inspect the bottle. She said the liquid looked cloudy and unusual before she realised the container appeared to contain flour rather than formula.
The family then took the child to hospital amid fears of poisoning. The baby suffered constipation but has since recovered, Fowlkes said.
Milwaukee baby formula incident under investigation
Fowlkes said the container was returned to the petrol station, although it remains unclear how its contents came to be different from the product expected.
The station owner told local television station FOX6 that the matter had been reported to Wisconsin’s Women, Infants and Children programme, known as WIC, and that state authorities were investigating. He declined to comment further while the inquiry was under way.
The family said it had sent a sample of the substance to the US Food and Drug Administration and was awaiting the results.
The FDA warns that dry foods, including flour and cornflour, can carry Cronobacter, a bacteria that can cause serious illness in infants. There is currently no indication that the Milwaukee baby contracted such an infection.
Fowlkes said the incident had highlighted the need for parents to inspect containers carefully, particularly when buying formula in an emergency.
“It only takes a couple seconds to make sure the seal is on there,” she said. “And if not, take it back even if the baby is upset.”
