Baby formula factory closes and fuel crisis restarts production

Abbott Nutrition, which caused a nationwide shortage of baby formula when it closed a top manufacturing plant in February over concerns about contamination, said on Saturday that the site had restarted. manufactures EleCare and other infant formulas.

The restart of the plant in Sturgis, Mich., as a result of an agreement with the federal Food and Drug Administration, has raised hopes that formula shortages are straining parents. direct competition will decrease.

Out-of-stock rates rose to about 74% at stores nationwide as of the week ended May 28, according to Datasembly, which tracks retail data. The crisis has dragged on for months and is rooted in pandemic supply problems, which became worse when the factory closed.

In a statement, Abbott said EleCare will be available to consumers around June 20 and it is “working hard” to restart production of Similac and other formulas.

“We understand the urgent need for formula and our top priority is getting safe, high-quality formula into the hands of families across the United States,” the company said. “We will ramp up production as quickly as possible while meeting all requirements.”

In February, Abbott announced it was voluntarily recalling three types of infant formula after four formula-fed infants produced at the Sturgis plant fell ill with a bacterial infection.

The FDA has received three consumer complaints about Cronobacter sakazakii, a bacteria that can cause severe, life-threatening infections or inflammation of the membranes that protect the brain and spine. Abbott has said there is no “convincing evidence” to link the company’s formulas to disease.

Dr. Robert M. Califf, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, told a House board last month that the Sturgis plant had a leaky roof, standing water on the floor and cracks in the equipment. produced to allow bacteria to enter and survive.

He detailed the “severely unsanitary” situation, but he also admitted that his agency had been slow to deal with problems at the plant.

In a statement Saturday, the FDA said it sent investigators at the Sturgis plant for several days to observe floor, roof, and equipment improvements made to the facility. Abbott reported that the establishment tested negative for Cronobacter, the agency said.

A consent decree the company has signed with the government provides a host of new safeguards, including hiring a qualified expert to monitor improvement activities at the plant and notify the FDA if detect any contamination.

The agency on Saturday said the steps it has taken, and the restart of the Sturgis plant, “will mean that more and more infant formula is on its way to or already on store shelves in the coming weeks.” future”.

The factory shutdown has exacerbated the current supply crisis, as parents rush to stock up on formula, sometimes driving for hours, as social networks form to help connect them to a dwindling supply.

With store shelves unavailable in some communities, some parents have become so desperate to give their babies oatmeal and fruit juice, even though pediatricians recommend formula or milk. Mothers are an important source of nutrition from birth until the child’s first birthday.

In the short-term, imports from Europe and elsewhere announced by the White House are expected to play a larger role in easing shortages than the Sturgis plant restart, Steven A. Abrams said. , professor of pediatrics at the Dell School of Medicine at the University of Texas at Austin, said on Saturday.

Dr. Abrams said the reopening of the Abbott factory will help parents of children with severe allergies because EleCare is aimed at them.

“What most families are facing at the grocery store, importing formula from UK, Australian and Mexican sources, will have a much bigger impact,” he said.