FDA: toss Once Upon a Farm toddler bars after 3 choking reports

The Food and Drug Administration is telling parents to throw away every Once Upon a Farm Tractor Wheels toddler bar. In an advisory posted Oct. 30, the agency said toddlers ages 1.5 to 2.5 could not breathe after eating the soft baked bars. Their airways were completely blocked.

The warning covers every flavor, size, lot code and expiration date. Stores should stop selling them.

Why these bars

When a child chews the bar, it can form a dry, sticky mass, the FDA says. Standard choking first aid, including back blows and the Heimlich maneuver, can fail to dislodge it.

Some children needed emergency responders and were kept in the hospital for observation. Neither the FDA nor the company reports any deaths.

The FDA says it has received several reports. Once Upon a Farm said its recall was based on three consumer complaints. The company calls the recall voluntary and says it is working with the FDA to pull the product.

Its announcement also says the bars will be reformulated.

“We know that parents place their trust in us every time they buy one of our products. We fell short of that,” the company said.

Once Upon a Farm is a Berkeley, Calif., maker of organic food for babies and kids. Its shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange.

Which products

Three flavors are on the recall list:

• Apple, Sweet Potato & Spinach
• Strawberry, Pumpkin & Beet
• Banana, Pumpkin & Cauliflower

The bars were sold online and in stores nationwide, including Costco, Target and Walmart, according to the FDA. The FDA says third party sellers such as Amazon can carry them too. The company lists shipments to 45 states and Puerto Rico.

Costco members who bought the 20 count box, item 1977696, between Jan. 31 and Oct. 31 are getting a recall letter dated Oct. 31. No other Once Upon a Farm products are part of the recall, the company says.

What parents should do

• Stop serving the bars. The FDA says to throw them away.
• For a refund, the company says to return them to the store where you bought them or email [email protected]. Its phone line is 888-983-1606, weekdays 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Pacific.
• If a child is choking and first aid does not clear the airway, call 911.
• Report a choking problem or other bad reaction to the FDA at 1-888-463-6332.

What it means for you

Any food can choke a toddler. This warning is different because the FDA says the usual rescue moves can fail on this bar.

If you have a box in the pantry or the diaper bag, take it out today. Check daycare and grandparents’ houses too, since Costco sold the bars in 20 count boxes.