Stop using Nara Organics Powdered Infant Formula immediately. If your baby has been fed this product and has any signs of infant botulism — new-onset constipation, weak crying, floppy movements, poor feeding, weak suck, drooling, or breathing problems — seek immediate medical care.
On June 12, 2026, Nara Organics of New York, NY, voluntarily recalled all lots of Nara Organics Powdered Infant Formula after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention informed the company of three hospitalized cases of infant botulism in infants who had consumed Nara formula. The three infants were in California, Washington, and Pennsylvania. All three were treated with BabyBIG (Botulism Immune Globulin Intravenous). No deaths have been reported.
The product has not yet tested positive for Clostridium botulinum — the bacterium that causes infant botulism — but the recall covers all lots out of an abundance of caution.
What the Recall Covers
- Product: Nara Organics Powdered Infant Formula (all lots, all currently distributed).
- Where it was sold: Target stores, Target.com, and Nara.com.
- When it was sold: July 2025 through June 2026.
- Refunds: Nara has stated it will automatically refund consumers who purchased formula from Nara.com in May and June 2026. Refunds for Target purchases are being handled by Target.
What Infant Botulism Is
Infant botulism is a rare but serious illness caused by the spores of Clostridium botulinum growing in a baby's large intestine and producing a toxin that attacks the nervous system. The infant becomes progressively weaker over hours to days. The disease is most common in infants under one year of age because their immature gut bacteria allow the spores to germinate; the same exposure in older children or adults rarely causes illness.
Symptoms to watch for
- Constipation — often the earliest sign, sometimes preceding other symptoms by days.
- Loss of head control or generalized floppiness.
- Weak cry.
- Poor feeding, weak suck.
- Drooling.
- Drooping eyelids, decreased facial expression.
- Breathing problems.
Infant botulism is treatable. The standard treatment is BabyBIG (Botulism Immune Globulin Intravenous-Human), available through the California Department of Public Health Infant Botulism Treatment and Prevention Program. Treated infants typically recover fully, though hospital stays often run several weeks because the toxin's effects wear off slowly.
How Infant Botulism Differs From NEC
Both infant botulism and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) involve serious gastrointestinal illness in infants — but they are entirely different conditions with different causes, populations, and legal pictures.
- NEC primarily affects premature infants in the NICU. It involves intestinal inflammation, tissue death, and sometimes perforation. See our signs of NEC guide for details.
- Infant botulism affects mostly term infants, typically at home rather than in the NICU. It involves muscle paralysis from a bacterial toxin, not intestinal inflammation. The classic exposure history involves honey (a known risk) or, as in the current recall, contaminated powdered formula.
The Nara Organics recall is not an NEC story. It is its own product liability and product safety story affecting a different population of infants and producing a different injury pattern.
What This Recall Adds to the Infant Formula Safety Picture
The Nara Organics recall is the most prominent infant formula recall since the 2022 Abbott Sturgis facility recall over Cronobacter sakazakii contamination, which produced the nationwide formula shortage that year. For parents tracking infant formula safety, the Nara recall is a reminder that:
- Powdered infant formula is not sterile. It can carry bacterial spores even when manufactured under modern quality controls.
- Even brands marketed as "organic" or "premium" are not immune to contamination risk.
- The FDA's recall process can lag clinical recognition by days or weeks — the three Nara-linked infant botulism cases were identified before any FDA contamination testing flagged the product.
For families with a premature baby in the NICU. The Nara recall does not directly affect NEC cases tied to Abbott Similac or Mead Johnson Enfamil — the products at the center of the ongoing MDL 3026 litigation. Those cases continue on their own timeline; see our June 2026 MDL update and the August 2026 Inman v. Mead Johnson trial preview.
What Parents Should Do
- Stop using the product immediately if your baby has been receiving Nara Organics Powdered Infant Formula.
- Watch for symptoms of infant botulism: constipation, weak crying, floppy movements, poor feeding, drooling, drooping eyelids, breathing problems.
- Seek immediate medical care at any sign of these symptoms. Tell the medical team the baby was fed Nara formula and that the product was recalled for potential C. botulinum contamination.
- Preserve the product container and the receipt if possible. The lot number on the can can be important for the FDA's ongoing investigation and for any future legal case.
- Pursue the refund through Nara.com or Target.
- Document the exposure — when feeding started, how many cans were used, when symptoms (if any) appeared, what providers told you.
If Your Baby Was Diagnosed with Infant Botulism After Nara Formula Use
Free, confidential case review. We are evaluating cases for families whose infants developed infant botulism after consuming Nara Organics formula. Time-sensitive evidence includes the formula container, the receipts, the hospital records, and the BabyBIG treatment documentation.
- Read about NEC vs. other infant illnesses: Signs of NEC in Premature Babies.
- Read about formula identification: Which Formula Was Your Baby Given?
- Read about NICU records: Reading a NICU Progress Note.
Free case review. No fees unless we recover compensation for you.
Sources
- U.S. Food & Drug Administration — "Nara Organics Recalls All Lots of Nara Infant Formula Because of Possible Health Risk." fda.gov
- U.S. Food & Drug Administration — "Outbreak Investigation of Infant Botulism: Powdered Infant Formula (June 2026)." fda.gov
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — "Infant Botulism Outbreak Linked to Powdered Infant Formula, June 2026." cdc.gov
- California Department of Public Health — Infant Botulism Treatment and Prevention Program (BabyBIG). infantbotulism.org
- Nara Organics — Recall Information. nara.com