The shelves, which are usually designed for baby formula, are almost empty in a store in downtown Washington, DC, on May 22, 2022.
Samuel Corum AFP | Getty Images
Abbott Nutrition resumed baby formula production at its Sturgis, Michigan plant on Saturday as a step toward tackling shortages across the country.
The company received the green light from the US Food and Drug Administration after meeting the “initial requirements” as part of a May 16 consent decree.
The company said it would restart production of EleCare, a formula for children struggling to absorb other products, along with other special and metabolic formulas.
Abbott is aiming for the initial launch of the EleCare product around June 20 and is working to meet Similac’s resumption guidelines and other formulas.
“We understand the urgent need for formula, and our top priority is to get a high-quality, safe formula in the hands of families across America,” an Abbott spokesman said in a statement. “We will increase production as quickly as possible, while meeting all requirements.”
While supply problems began at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the problems were exacerbated in part by the closure of the Michigan plant in February amid pollution controls.
FDA research began after four babies were hospitalized with bacterial infections from drinking its powdered formula. Two of the babies died.
“The FDA continues to work hard to ensure the safe resumption of infant food production at the Abbott Nutrition plant in Sturgis, Michigan,” the FDA said in a statement.
“The agency expects that the measures and steps it is taking, as well as the potential for the Abbott Nutrition plant in Sturgis, Michigan, to safely resume production in the short term, will mean that more and more baby foods are on the way or already in place. store shelves ahead, “the FDA said.
Abbott Nutrition is the largest manufacturer of baby formula in the United States
Add Comment