FDA Recalls Wipes After Bacteria Identified

Nutek Disposables, Inc. of McElhattan, PA has initiated a nationwide voluntary product recall at the retail level of all lots of baby wipes that it manufactured under the brand names Cuties, Diapers.com, Femtex, Fred’s, Kidgets, Member’s Mark, Simply Right, Sunny Smiles, Tender Touch and Well Beginnings because some packages may contain bacteria. These wipes were distributed by Nutek prior to Oct. 21, 2014 to the following retail stores: Walgreens, Sam’s Club, Family Dollar, Fred’s and Diapers.com.

The company is working with the US Food & Drug Administration and the affected retailers and distributors. After receiving a few complaints of odor and discoloration, Nutek conducted microbial testing that showed the presence of a bacteria, called Burkholderia cepacia (B. cepacia), in some of these products. On Oct. 3, 2014, the company initiated a voluntary withdrawal of lots that had tested positive for the bacteria, as well as other baby wipes in the surrounding time frame. After some additional lots were tested, as a precautionary measure, Nutek decided to withdraw all its baby wipe products.

Since the product was withdrawn from the market, numerous complaints have since been received by the company. As press time, the company has not identified the cause of the problem, but is continuing to investigate. In the interim, Nutek has stopped shipping baby wipes manufactured at the facility.