Health Guide and Education Online

The founder of Plum Organics of Emeryville, California, announced today that it is taking the precautionary measure of voluntarily recalling one particular batch of its 4.22 oz. Plum Organics Apple & Carrot Baby Food in Portable Pouches that are stamped with the “best by” date of May 21, 2010.

The particular products are also marked with Universal Product Code (UPC) #890180001221 located on the bottom of the package. These pouches are sold individually at Toys-R-Us and Babies-R-Us locations nationally. The California-based company announced the recall Tuesday morning, saying the product did not meet FDA requirements for proper acidity level.

Baby Food Recall

No illnesses or side effects have been reported in connection with this product and no other Plum Organics products are affected. As a further precaution, samples from every Plum Organics product manufactured before and after this batch were tested and found to be within quality standards.

The company claimed that a mixing error that resulted in an improper blend of carrots and apples is the cause of the recall. However, the same press release also say that the recall was undertaken as a precaution due to the risk of potential contamination with Clostridium Botulinum, which can cause botulism, a serious and sometimes life threatening condition.

So what is botulism?

Botulism is a rare but serious paralytic illness caused by a nerve toxin that is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. All forms of botulism can be fatal and are considered medical emergencies.

There are three main kinds of botulism.

• Food borne botulism is caused by eating foods that contain the botulism toxin. Food borne botulism can be especially dangerous because many people can be poisoned by eating a contaminated food
• Wound botulism is caused by toxin produced from a wound infected with Clostridium botulinum.
• Infant botulism is caused by consuming the spores of the botulinum bacteria, which then grow in the intestines and release toxin.

How common is botulism?

Clostridium botulinum is the name of a group of bacteria commonly found in soil. These rod-shaped organisms grow best in low oxygen conditions. The bacteria form spores which allow them to survive in a dormant state until exposed to conditions that can support their growth. In the United States an average of 145 cases is reported each year.  Of these, approximately 15% are food borne, 65% are infant botulism, and 20% are wound.  Adult intestinal colonization and iatrogenic botulism also occur, but rarely.

What are the symptoms of botulism?

The classic symptoms of botulism can include double vision, blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, and muscle weakness. Infants with botulism appear lethargic, feed poorly, are constipated, and have a weak cry and poor muscle tone. These are all symptoms of the muscle paralysis caused by the bacterial toxin. If untreated, these symptoms may progress to cause paralysis of the arms, legs, trunk and respiratory muscles. In food borne botulism, symptoms generally begin 18 to 36 hours after eating a contaminated food, but they can occur as early as 6 hours or as late as 10 days.

How to treat botulism?

If diagnosed early, food borne and wound botulism can be treated with an equine antitoxin which blocks the action of toxin circulating in the blood. This can prevent patients from worsening, but recovery may take many weeks. Physicians may try to remove contaminated food still in the gut by inducing vomiting or by using enemas.

Wound botulism can also be surgically treated to remove the source of the toxin-producing bacteria followed by administration of appropriate antibiotics.

A human-derived antitoxin is used to treat cases of infant botulism and is available from the Department of Public Health.

The respiratory failure and paralysis that occur with severe botulism may require a patient to be on a breathing machine (ventilator) for weeks, plus intensive medical and nursing care. After several weeks, the paralysis is expected to slowly improve. Good supportive care in a hospital is the mainstay of therapy for all forms of botulism.