South Bay Walmart Recalls Room Spray Over Deadly Bacteria

TORRANCE, CA — Walmart in Torrance recalled a product that could contain deadly bacteria.

Walmart on Oct. 22 voluntarily recalled about 3,900 bottles of Better Homes and Gardens-branded essential oil-infused spray with gemstones.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted an investigation that found the possible presence of a rare and dangerous bacteria in the product. The CDC discovered four linked cases, including two deaths.

The retailer warned customers about the spray and pulled the item from retail stores and online. It asked customers not to discard the spray but rather to package it carefully and return it to the retailer.

The CDC confirmed cases of the rare bacterial illness melioidosis linked to the product in patients from Georgia, Kansas, Minnesota, and Texas from March to July 2021.

“Most cases of melioidosis in the United States are in people who traveled to areas where the disease is more common, but these patients had no recent history of international travel,” according to the CDC.

Walmart, along with federal agencies, pulled the item off its shelves from about 55 stores in 18 states and contacted the company that produced it. The item was manufactured by Flora Classique Inc. and sold under the Better Homes and Gardens brand.

“We are committed to providing safe, high-quality products to our customers,” Walmart said in a statement. “Our sympathies go out to the four families that have been impacted by this situation. Customer safety is always a top priority and as part of the recall we proactively put plans in action to notify customers and prevent further product sales while federal agencies continue their investigation."

The product is no longer available in Walmart stores or online to prevent any further sales, the company added.

The product safety commission issued its recall on Oct. 22. The company listed each of the stores on its website.

The CDC linked the illness to the product by using whole genome sequencing. CDC officials found that the strains of bacteria that sickened the patients closely matched each other, suggesting they had a common source of infection.

“The strain of bacteria that sickened the patients was similar to those found most often in South Asia, which led CDC to suspect that an imported product may have been involved in the patients’ illnesses,” according to the CDC.

“Healthcare providers should watch for any acute bacterial infection that doesn’t respond to normal antibiotics and consider melioidosis, especially if the patient was exposed to the implicated spray during the previous 21 days,” the CDC reported.

Providers should not rule out melioidosis just because a patient has not traveled outside the U.S., according to the CDC. The CDC also urged clinicians not to rule out melioidosis as a possible diagnosis in children and those who were previously healthy and without known risk factors for melioidosis.

Walmart emailed each person who purchased the product online, sending letters to consumers on Oct. 22 and alerting them of the recall based on company records that they may have purchased one of six scents since February 2021 that were recalled.

Walmart also emailed more than 2,000 customers who purchased the product at one of its roughly 55 stores that sold it as part of a pilot program. The company also sent letters to another 263 customers with no email addresses on record and placed calls to a small number of other customers with no available email or physical address.

The company warned consumers to stop using the product immediately and follow recommendations in the voluntary recall notice for securing and returning the product to a Walmart store.

Customers were asked to double-bag the bottle in clean, clear zip-top resealable bags and place it in a small cardboard box.

“It is important that these products be handled correctly and returned to Walmart,” the company said.

Walmart will provide customers with a full refund and offer a $20 gift card for any inconvenience.

Customers with questions were asked to contact the Walmart Customer Care Center at 800-925-6278 from 7 a.m. through 9 p.m. CDT any day or online at Walmart.com and click on "Product Recalls" for more information.

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