CDC links infant botulism outbreak to Target-sold Nara formula

Target stores have been pulled into a high-stakes recall workflow: remove Nara Organics Whole Milk Organic Infant Formula from shelves, flag it at guest service, and be ready for return and refund questions as soon as they come in. The CDC tied the outbreak to formula sold at Target retail stores and Target.com, turning a public-health alert into a frontline execution problem for store leaders, team members, and guest-facing teams.

Nara Organics recalled all lots of the formula on June 13 after public health officials identified three infant botulism cases across California, Pennsylvania, and Washington. The infants were between 2 and 5 months old, and the CDC said there were three hospitalizations and no deaths. FDA and CDC officials contacted Nara Organics late on Friday, June 12, with epidemiological information that triggered the recall.

For Target, the details matter. The FDA said the formula was distributed nationally through Target retail stores, Target.com, and Nara.com between July 2025 and June 2026. Nara said the product sold through Target was the 700 gram can, and that Target did not sell the 400 gram can. That distinction is the kind of thing store teams need to know before a guest shows up at the service desk with a package in hand, or asks whether anything still on the shelf is safe to buy.

The CDC said the recalled formula makes up less than 1 percent of infant formula in the United States, so shortages are not expected. Even so, families are being told to stop using the product immediately, discard it or return unopened cans, wash any surfaces or items that may have contacted the formula, and watch infants for symptoms for a month after the last use. Warning signs include poor feeding, loss of head control, difficulty swallowing, decreased facial expression, and weakness, and the CDC said symptoms can take several weeks to appear.

Nara Organics said it had not found any positive test for C. botulinum in its formula as of the recall notice and said all of its formula was manufactured in Europe. The outbreak investigation remains open, and that leaves Target with the usual recall challenge in a category where accuracy matters more than speed alone: clear product pulls, consistent answers at guest service, and quick escalation when a team member is unsure.

Target has handled infant-formula recalls before, including a ByHeart recall in November 2025, which gives store teams recent precedent for how fast a formula issue can move from corporate notice to aisle-level work. In a category where parents are often shopping under pressure, the difference between confusion and confidence is whether the store can name the product, explain the recall, and move the guest to the right safety guidance without hesitation.