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Abbott baby formula overview:
- Who: Michigan plant at the center of the nationwide baby formula recall and shortage has stopped production of EleCare formula just weeks after reopening
- Why: The plant was flooded in recent storms
- Where: Michigan
Flooding has forced the Michigan Abbott Nutrition plant at the center of the nationwide baby formula recall and shortage to stop production of EleCare formula just weeks after the plant’s reopening.
Recent severe storms have led to flooding inside the plant, the company said, probably delaying production of new formula for a few more weeks, CNN reports.
“These torrential storms produced significant rainfall in a short period of time — overwhelming the city’s stormwater system in Sturgis, Mich., and resulting in flooding in parts of the city, including areas of our plant,” Abbott said in statement.
As a result, Abbott has stopped production of its EleCare specialty formula to assess damage caused by the storm and clean and re-sanitize the plant, the company said.
“We have informed FDA and will conduct comprehensive testing in conjunction with the independent third party to ensure the plant is safe to resume production,” the statement said. “This will likely delay production and distribution of new product for a few weeks.”
Abbott said that once the plant is re-sanitized and production resumes, it will restart EleCare production, followed by specialty and metabolic formulas.
Agreement with FDA
The news comes after Abbott Nutrition reached an agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that allows the company to reopen its baby formula plant.
The plant was closed in February as regulators investigated the source of a salmonella and Cronobacter sakazakii contamination following the deaths of two babies who had consumed Abbott’s Similac PM 60/40 baby formula.
The FDA and Abbott have now reached an agreement on a reopening plan in the midst of an ongoing nationwide shortage of baby formula.
As part of the agreement, Abbott must, at its own expense, “retain or continue retention” of an outside expert who does not have any personal or financial ties to the company and can help bring it into compliance and avoid future bacterial contamination.
Abbott says it has been working on improving safety at plant
Abbott has said it was already working on improving health and safety regulations at the plant prior to it being shut down by the FDA, according to court documents.
In February, two senators demanded Abbott turn over documents related to its baby formula recall after it came to light the company, the FDA and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) knew since September 2021 the formula had been making babies sick.
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