TAMPA, Fla. — A Tampa couple discovered earlier this month that the contents of a can of baby formula they purchased from an area Publix were replaced with flour.
- Cans of baby formula purchased on June 1
- Family notified Publix, who has launched investigation with FDA
- Currently unclear how formula was switched out for other substance
- More Hillsborough County stories
Ashley Frydrych is loving every minute of being a first-time mom.
“His facial expressions when he’s shocked, he’ll say stuff, he’s super happy,” said Frydrych, talking about her son, Jack.
But with the "new mom" excitement can come the "new mom" jitters.
“I didn’t want to be the panicky mom calling the doctor at everything. I didn’t want to be that person,” said Frydrych.
But this time, she felt those jitters.
Frydrych bought two cans of Enfamil baby formula at the Publix in Britton Plaza on June 1.
The first can, she says, was wrapped the same as others she’s bought in the past— sealed on the outside, with a second sealed pouch containing the formula on the inside.
The second one was only sealed on the outside, with no pouch on the inside.
“Because I did have to break open the two stickers to get inside the container, I thought the manufacturer just changed it,” said Frydrych.
Within 24 hours, however, baby Jack would not drink from his bottle, and was gassy and uncomfortable.
That’s when her husband noticed something was off.
“He goes, ‘When did you make this bottle?” I said, ‘A couple of minutes ago, why?’ And he said, ‘It’s already separating!’ So that’s when he ran in and tasted it and it was flour,” said Frydrych.
The family notified Publix immediately, who has since launched an investigation with the FDA.
“We checked the other lot and date codes for the remaining product, and they were all formula,” the retailer told us in a statement.
Currently, it’s not clear how the formula was switched out for another substance, but Frydrych has a message for whoever did it.
“You have a small child’s life in your hands, and it’s not fair to them. For what, a scam? Formula is expensive, it is. But it’s not fair,” said Frydrych.
Frydrych says moving forward she will always check the formula before leaving the store, and she urges other parents to do the same.