Abbott is CLOSING AGAIN its baby food plant in Michigan after severe storms flooded parts of the building
- Abbott Laboratories’ facility in Sturgis, Michigan has been at the heart of the nation’s baby food shortage
- It restarted on June 4 after being closed since February due to contamination
- Now the heavy storms that hit Monday have closed the factory again
- Abbott says it needs to assess the damage and re-sanitize the factory
- The closure is likely to delay baby food production by a few weeks
- The company did not offer a timeframe for resuming production
Severe weather has forced Abbott Nutrition to halt production at a Michigan baby formula plant that has just restarted after being closed for several months.
The facility is closely linked to the recent baby food shortages.
Production for its EleCare specialty formula has been suspended, but there is enough supply to meet demand until production resumes, the company said.
The company has been keen to ramp up production of the specialty formula for infants with severe food allergies and digestive problems who have few other feeding options.
Abbott says it must assess the damage and re-sanitize the factory after severe thunderstorms and torrential rain swept through southwest Michigan late Monday. The company did not make how much damage the factory suffered.
Abbott had restarted the Sturgis, Michigan factory on June 4 after it had been closed since February due to contamination.
Abbott had restarted the Sturgis, Michigan factory on June 4 after it had been closed since February due to contamination
The factory was shut down after the Food and Drug Administration began investigating four bacterial infections in infants who consumed powdered milk made from the plant. Two of the babies died. The company also states that its products have not been directly linked to infections involving different strains of bacteria.
FDA inspectors eventually uncovered a variety of violations at the facility, including bacterial contamination, a leaky roof and lax safety protocols.
Abbott recalled several leading infant formula brands in February, including Similac. That squeezed squeezed supplies already strained by supply chain disruptions and warehousing during the COVID-19 shutdowns.
The company did not provide a timeframe for resuming production in its statement.