Mead Johnson Says Its Tests Show Enfamil Baby Formula Safe

Dec. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Mead Johnson Nutrition Co. said tests it conducted on samples of its Enfamil baby formula tied to an U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigation found no presence of bacteria. The company called the product safe.The samples matched those being tested by regulators and, using their methods, found no Cronobacter, a kind of environmental bacteria that can be fatal, Mead Johnson said in a statement.Two babies tested positive this month for Cronobacter, including a newborn in Lebanon, Missouri, who died. That prompted retailers, including Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Kroger Co. and Walgreen Co., to remove the baby formula from shelves. The other baby became sick, though survived.Chris Perille, a spokesman for Mead Johnson, said the company tested the same batch of formula as public health authorities. UGG Kensington Boots The negative test for Cronobacter confirmed results the company got before it shipped the batch of Enfamil Premium Newborn powdered formula.“We hold samples of every batch,” he said today in a telephone interview. “There’s only one batch of one product that’s being checked out.”Perille said Mead Johnson hasn’t been given a timeframe for when the FDA and Centers for Disease Control will finish their reviews, which probably include water samples and other environmental tests.79% of RevenueNo other “serious” complaints have been reported related to the batch of Enfamil Premium Newborn that’s being tested, he said.The Enfa brands, which include Enfamil, accounted for 79 percent of Mead Johnson’s $3.14 billion in 2010 revenue and were the world’s lead brand franchise in pediatric nutrition based on retail sales, the Glenview, Illinois-based company said in a February filing.The company said all of its infant formula products undergo more than 2,300 quality tests and checks to ensure they meet standards set by the World Health Organization and FDA.Mead Johnson shares fell 5.1 percent to $65.29 in New York trading on Dec. 23, after falling 10 percent on Dec. 22 when Wal-Mart pulled its Enfamil Newborn formula from shelves.