Production of baby formula has resumed at Michigan’s Abbott Nutrition factory, whose shutdown in February due to contamination contributed to a national shortage, a company spokesman said.
Damage from severe storms, including flooding, had forced the Sturgis plant to halt operations in mid-June just two weeks after production resumed with additional disinfection and safety protocols.
The production of EleCare, a specialized formula for babies 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 restart Similac production as soon as we can. We will provide more information when we have it,” he said by email.
Abbott recalled several leading formula brands in February, including Similac. This squeezed out supplies that were already strained by supply chain disruptions and storage during COVID-19 closures.
The shortage was more severe for children with allergies, digestive problems, and metabolic disorders that depend on specialized formulas.
Since then, President Joe Biden’s administration has eased import rules for foreign manufacturers, transported air formulas from Europe, and invoked federal emergency rules to prioritize U.S. production.
Abbott is one of four companies that produce about 90 percent of the US formula. Koval declined to say what part of Abot’s global supply of infant formulas in the United States is produced at the Sturgis plant.
The plant closed in February after the Food and Drug Administration began investigating four bacterial infections among babies consuming plant powder. Two of the babies died. The company says its products have not been directly related to infections, which involved different bacterial strains.
FDA inspectors eventually discovered a number of 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 foreign manufacturers of infant formulas that have shipped supplies secure long-term authorization to market their formula in the U.S. The plan is to offer American consumers more options and make supplies more current-resistant. or future shortages.
FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf and Susan Mayne, director of the agency’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, said in a statement that the Sturgis plant shutdown “was compounded by unforeseen natural weather events.” has shown how vulnerable the supply chain has become. ” . ”