A packaging defect that could cause baby food in pouches to spoil spurred Gerber Products Co. to recall four batches of “Organic 2nd Foods” because of safety concerns. The company is offering consumers coupons to replace the potentially dangerous organic baby food. “Consumers may notice that, in some cases, the pouches are bloated and product inside may have an off taste or odor,” according to the recall notice on the Food and Drug Administration’s website. “There have been three consumer reports of temporary gastrointestinal symptoms, however, we have been unable to confirm that these are related to the product. Consumers should not use the product, since it does not meet our high quality standards.” The recalled baby food can be identified by the following label information:

• Gerber Organic 2nd Foods Pouches – Pears, Carrots & Peas in 3.5-ounce pouches with UPC 15000074319 and one of these two Best By dates/batch codes: 12JUL2016 51945335XX or 13JUL 2016 51955335XX
• Gerber Organic 2nd Foods Pouches – Carrots, Apples and Mangoes in 3.5-ounce pouches with UPC 15000074395 and one of these two Best By dates/batch codes: 13JUL2016 51955335XX or 14JUL2016 51965335XX

In addition to being distributed nationwide to retailers, the organic baby food pouches were sold direct to consumers via online transactions. The long shelf life of the products mean consumers may have some of the recalled products in their homes. “Consumers who purchased pouches with the above UPCs, batch codes and expiration dates are encouraged to contact the Gerber Parents Resource Center at 1-800-706-0556 anytime day or night for a replacement coupon,” according to the recall notice. (To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here.)