Mehadrin Materna Formula Found to Have Potentially Harmful Bacteria

By Mindy Cohn

The Israeli production line of Materna Mehadrin powdered milk formula for babies ages 0 to 6 months was found to contain the Cronobacter bacterium. The product was not released to the public and was destroyed, but the discovery of contamination is expected to lead to a shortage of the Cholov Yisroel formula.

“As part of the expansion of our sampling, additional findings were found in the production environment, but as stated in the company’s report, in light of the findings, the factory stopped the production of the formula for maintenance and cleaning operations,” the Israeli Health Ministry stated. “We continue to constantly monitor and verify that food businesses fulfill their responsibility towards the consumer to maintain food safety to protect public health.”

Cronobacter can get into the powdered formula in a factory if the manufacturer uses contaminated ingredients or the powder comes into contact with a contaminated surface.