Nestlé / Gerber Banana Baby Food Recall Notice Is False

Posted on November 15, 2012 by Shirley Pena

Recently this notice has been appearing widely on several social media sites, especially Twitter and Facebook.

Since I had heard nothing previous about it, I took it upon myself to investigate the validity of this claim. I subsequently discovered this is nothing more than a rumor, which has been making the rounds since July 2011.

(all images courtesy of The Nestlé company. Copyright 2012)

 

Social media postings have been urging all consumers to return all Gerber Banana Baby Food with expiration date of 2012 to the place of purchase because the products may contain glass.  In the past month, the careful wording of this false notice has varied according to which social media it appears on. Examples are below:

Example # 1:

As posted via Twitter, Nov. 14, 2012:

NEWBORNS!!! URGENT!!! For all parents, Nestle is asking for everyone to return all GERBER BANANA BABY FOOD expiring 2012 because they may contain glass. Please copy and paste for all babies safety. Batch code 7613033089 73, even if you’re not a parent please copy you could save a baby’s life,, Thanks

Example #2:

As posted on Facebook, Nov. 12, 2012:

FOR ALL PARENTS!!!!!!!!!!!! Nestle is asking for everyone to return all GERBER BANANA BABY FOOD expiring 2012 because they may contain glass. Please copy and paste for all babies safety. Batch code 761303308973, even if you’re not a parent please copy

Example #3:

As posted on Facebook, Dec. 5, 2011:

URGENT!!! For all parents, Nestle is asking for everyone to return all GERBER BANANA BABY FOOD expiring 2012 because they may contain glass. Please copy and paste for all babies safety. Batch code 7613033089 73, even if you’re not a parent please copy you could save a baby’s life!!!!!!

However, my investigations did confirm that this rumor contains a small amount of actual truth underlying its origin, in that in July 2011 the Nestlé company recalled one batch of baby food because a consumer reported finding glass in a jar of  Nestlé P’tit Pot Recette Banana. This incident had absolutely no effect on USA consumers since it proved to have occurred only in a batch that was made and sold in France. Moreover, an investigation revealed that the defective jar was an isolated incident and didn’t pertain to any  Nestlé products manufactured and/or sold in the U.S. (or any other countries but France). In response to the continuing rumors concerning their product, Gerber has issued the following statement to the media/press for immediate publication:

 

“There have been some inaccurate reports of a Gerber recall. There is NO RECALL in effect for any Gerber products sold in the US. All Gerber products are safe to consume.

While, as a precautionary measure, there was a voluntary limited product recall for Nestlé P’tit Pot Recette Banana baby food in France last week, there is no recall in effect for any Gerber products sold in the US.

Consumers who have questions may contact our Parents Resource Center at 1-800-327-9933.”

Shirley Pena

About Shirley Pena

A native of Southern California, Shirley Peña began her career as a music journalist almost twenty years ago, writing for her websites "Stars In My Eyes: the Girlhowdy Website" and "La Raza Rock!" and progressed to creating various fan sites on Yahoo, including the first for New Zealand singer/songwriter Tim Finn. From there, she became a free agent, arranging online interviews for Yahoo fan clubs with various music artists (Andy White, John Crawford, Debora Iyall, John Easdale, etc.). She also lent her support in creating and moderating a number of Yahoo fan clubs for various music artists from the 1990s-today. As a music journalist, Shirley Peña has contributed to a number of magazines (both hard copy and online), among them: Goldmine, American Songwriter, Classic Drummer Magazine and UK-based Keyboard Player (where she was a principal journalist). A self-confessed "fanatic" of 1960s "British Invasion" bands, Classic Rock and nostalgic "Old Hollywood ", she also keeps her finger on the pulse of current trends in music, with a keen eye for up and coming artists of special merit. Shirley Peña loves Los Angeles, and is thrilled to join the writing staff of The Los Angeles Beat!
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2 Responses to Nestlé / Gerber Banana Baby Food Recall Notice Is False

  1. Wholesale Apples says:
    April 9, 2013 at 6:09 am

    After I initially commented I clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now every time a comment is added I get four emails with the identical comment. Is there any manner you may take away me from that service? Thanks!

    Reply
  2. Shirley Pena Shirley Pena says:
    April 9, 2013 at 1:03 pm

    I am unsure how to take you off that service. I will immediately send this to the online magazine’s editor for his help in correcting this problem.

    Thanks!
    Shirley Pena

    Reply

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