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The Abbott Laboratories plant in Michigan, which was at the center of the nation’s baby formula crisis, has stopped production again.
Production of its special EleCare formula was halted after severe storms in southwestern Michigan flooded areas of the Sturgess, Michigan plant.
FILE PHOTO: The Abbott Laboratories facility, where dozens of withdrawn types of baby powder formulas were made, halted on-site production in Sturgess, Michigan, May 20, 2022. (REUTERS / Eric Cox / File Photo / Reuters Photos)
This is the same plant that forced Abbott to withdraw some of his formulas February due to pollution problems.
The closure of the Sturgess facility, the largest in the United States and a source for leading brands such as Similac, has exacerbated the shortage of baby formulas across the industry. For several months now, parents and caregivers have been arguing as shelves become increasingly barren. Meanwhile, there were retailers forced to impose restrictions on purchases on the product to try and limit the accumulation of stocks.
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Shelves, usually loaded with baby formula, are almost empty in a store in San Antonio on Tuesday, May 10, 2022 (AP Photo / Eric Gay / AP Newsroom)
ABBOTT TO RENEW MICHIGAN FACILITIES ON JUNE 4 TO PRIORITY SPECIAL FORMULA PRODUCTION
The company, which notified the US Food and Drug Administration, said the incident was likely to delay the production and distribution of infant formula for several weeks.
“Abbott has enough existing supplies of EleCare and most of its specialty and metabolic formulas to meet the needs of these products until a new product emerges,” the statement said.
Ticker security Last change Change% ABT ABBOTT LABORATORIES 104.75 +1.74 + 1.69%
“Once the plant is rehabilitated and production resumes, we will resume production of EleCare, followed by special and metabolic formulas. In parallel, we will work to restart Similac’s production at the plant as soon as possible, “the statement continued.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Robert Calif answered the question on Twitter Wednesday night, writing: “Today we were informed about the weather situation at the Abbott’s Sturgis facility, Michigan. I personally spoke with the CEO tonight and we discussed our common desire to restore the facility as soon as possible. “
Caliph went on to call the situation an “unfortunate failure” and reassured consumers that “the work of the whole government to increase supply means that we will have more than enough product to meet current demand.”
“Abbott exceeds the monthly amount of adapted milk it produced in 2021 – all the while the Sturgis facility has stopped production. Other producers also continue to produce formula at higher than average prices, and we continue to exercise flexibility in importing formula I supplements, ”added Calif. “This means that the total amount of formula available, even before the Sturgis plant is back in production, exceeds the demand for formula before withdrawal.”
WHITE OAK, MD – JULY 20: A sign for the Food and Drug Administration is visible outside the headquarters on July 20, 2020 in White Oak, Maryland. (Photo by Sarah Silbiger / Getty Images / Getty Images)
Caliph said Abbott would report on progress in repairing the FDA plant in the coming days. The FDA will then return to the plant to ensure that it can restart production safely.
“Ensuring that parents and caregivers have access to both safe and affordable breast milk remains a top priority for the FDA, and our teams are working day and night to help make that happen,” Calif said. .
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Abbott is just one of four companies, including Gerber, Perrigo and Reckitt, that produce approximately 90% of the formula in the United States.
Daniela Genovese of FOX Business and Reuters contributed to this report.
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