"Really gross:" 2 Missouri mothers find maggot-like worms after making bottles with formula
KANSAS CITY, Missouri -- Two Missouri mothers say there was a disgusting surprise when they opened cans of formula to feed their infant children.
Taylor Seyler told KERO she breast-feeds her two-year-old son Keighan -- but needs formula as a supplement. Seyler said she recently opened a can of Similac and made bottle for her son. Soon, she she noticed something disturbing.
"Two ounces down, I noticed the worms and I was like 'oh -- that's great.' Took it from his mouth, went and put a napkin over the faucet and we poured it down the drain and we saw the maggots on it."
Seyler snapped some pictures and posted them on Facebook. They've been shared more than 43,000 times.
"It happened to me and I don't want it to happen to anyone else. I don't want anyone else's baby to consume worms. That's really gross," Seyler said.
KERO reached out to Abbott, the company that makes Similac. Abbot officials provided this statement:
"We take all concerns about product quality and safety seriously. Parents can be confident that our Similac infant formulas are safe. A third-party entomologist has reviewed the photos and concluded that based on the life cycle, and the age and size of the Indian meal moth larva in the photos, they entered the product after it left our facilities and the safety seal was removed. Our products pass rigorous safety and quality checks, including numerous steps to check for foreign objects and ensure proper packaging.
Indian meal moths are very common and can often be found in kitchen pantries inside flour and cereal. To prevent contamination, caregivers should inspect products before use and practice safe handling with powdered formula, including washing hands, closing containers tightly after each use and storing products in a dry, cool, clean place."
According to KERO, Helen Williamson, a mother of four, had a similar experience with Nutramigen formula.
"I went to burp her like normal. I happened to glance over at the bottle and saw, you know, waves. I pick up the bottle and hold it in the light and I see worms like, inching up. Pick up the can and looked in it and saw pieces of the formula moving inside the can. So I was like 'oh my gosh!'" I just feel like they're not doing something right because there wouldn't be -- I'm sorry -- they look like maggots to me. There wouldn't be maggots crawling around in my baby's bottle," Williamson said.
KERO obtained a statement from Mead Johnson, the company that makes Nutramigen formula:
“We can share with you that we have not received any similar complaints on this batch of Nutramigen. As we understand the situation, the can of product had been opened by the consumer the day before it was used. It is important to note that the introduction of foreign matter into any Mead Johnson product during the manufacturing and packaging process is extremely unlikely given our numerous stringent safeguards and quality control procedures."
"I depend on that company -- and this is what happens. Then I hear that this isn't the first time! It's not right. It really isn't," Williamson said.