Baby formula production has resumed at the Abbott Nutrition plant in Michigan, whose closure in February due to contamination contributed to a national shortage, a company spokesman said.
Damage from severe thunderstorms, including flooding, forced the Sturgis plant to shut down operations in mid-June just two weeks after restarting production with additional disinfection and safety protocols.
Production of EleCare, a special formula for infants with severe food allergies and digestive problems, was restored in Sturgis after a July 1 restart, Abbott spokesman John Koval said.
“We are working to resume production of Similac as soon as possible. We will provide more information as we receive it,” he said via email.
Abbott pulled several leading formula brands in February, including Similac. This reduced supplies, which were already strained by supply chain disruptions and inventory build-ups during the shutdown due to COVID-19.
The shortage was most severe for children with allergies, digestive problems and metabolic disorders who rely on special formulas.
Since then, President Joe Biden’s administration has eased import rules for foreign manufacturers, shipped formula from Europe and invoked federal emergency rules to prioritize U.S. manufacturing.
Abbott is one of only four companies that make about 90 percent of the formula in the US. Koval declined to say how much of Abbot’s total U.S. formula supply is made at the Sturgis plant.
The plant was shut down in February after the Food and Drug Administration launched an investigation into four bacterial infections among babies who consumed powdered formula from the plant. Two of the babies died. The company says its products are not directly linked to the infections, which involve different bacterial strains.
FDA inspectors eventually uncovered numerous violations at the plant, including bacterial contamination, a leaky roof and lax safety protocols.
On Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration announced plans to help overseas infant formula manufacturers who have sent supplies secure long-term approval to market their formulas in the US. The plan is to give American consumers more choices and make supplies more resilient to current or future shortages.
FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf and Susan Main, director of the agency’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, said in a statement that the shutdown at the Sturgis plant “combined with unforeseen natural weather events showed how vulnerable the supply chain has become.” supplies.”
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