Mom says baby formula bought at Walmart was replaced by flour

BALTIMORE (WMAR) - A Maryland mother says a routine trip to buy baby formula from Walmart led to a frightening incident with her 11-month-old son.

Alivia Council says a container of infant formula she bought at a Walmart in Nottingham was not filled with formula at all but flour. She says her boyfriend opened the container later that night to make a bottle for their son.

The 11-month-old drank some of the bottle before tossing it aside. That’s when the couple began to question what was inside the container.

“I mixed it with water, and it turned into dough. I was livid,” Council said.

She says her mind went to worst-case scenarios.

“It’s E. coli, salmonella, there’s so many bacteria that are inside of raw flour that have to get cooked off, and I just fed it to my child,” she said. “Immediately, I’m blaming myself as a mom.”

Council says her son later had flushed cheeks and diarrhea for a few days, but thankfully, he did not suffer serious health problems. She reported the incident to police, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and state food safety officials.

She also posted about the experience on social media, urging other parents to check formula containers before leaving the store.

“We try to do everything right,” she said. “It was disappointing for that to happen.”

Walmart said in a statement it has a strict policy against reselling returned infant formula. The retailer said it has reported the incident and offered the couple an exchange.