Mich. baby formula factory suffers setback after storms
Severe weather forced Abbott Nutrition to pause production at a Michigan baby formula factory that had just restarted after being closed for several months, contributing to a national shortage.
Production for Abbott’s EleCare specialty formula has been suspended, but there is enough supply to meet demand until production is restarted, the company said. Abbott had prioritized ramping up production of the specialty formula for infants with severe food allergies and digestive problems who have few other options for nutrition.
Abbott said it needs to assess damage and resanitize the factory in Sturgis, Michigan, after severe thunderstorms and heavy rains swept through southwestern Michigan late Monday. Spokesman Jonathon Hamilton said flooding hit a few areas of the factory.
The company expects production and distribution to be delayed a few weeks as it cleans the plant.
Once it restarts, the factory will begin with the production of EleCare and other specialty formulas. Abbott said it also plans to restart production of its Similac formula as soon as possible.
Abbott restarted the factory June 4 after it had been closed since February due to contamination.
Abbott recalled several brands of formula then. That squeezed supplies that had already been strained by supply chain disruptions and stockpiling during COVID-19 shutdowns.
The ongoing shortage has been most dire for children with allergies, digestive problems and metabolic disorders who rely on specialty formulas.
President Joe Biden’s administration has since eased import rules for foreign manufacturers, airlifted formula from Europe and invoked federal emergency rules to prioritize U.S. production.
FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf told a Senate committee Thursday that government work done to increase the supply means that there will be more than enough product to meet current demand. He also said that other U.S. baby formula manufacturers are running their plants around the clock.
Califf said they hoped to have a “super supply” of formula in perhaps two weeks.
“But it’s too early to give an exact estimate of what the delay will be in the Sturgis plant,” Califf said at a hearing of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions.
Califf called the flood at the plant “an unfortunate setback and a reminder that natural weather events can cause unforeseen disruptions in supply chains.”
Abbott is one of four companies that produce about 90% of U.S. formula. Hamilton said Abbott has produced 8.7 million pounds of formula in June, or 95% of what it produced the month before the recall.
The Michigan factory was closed after the Food and Drug Administration began investigating four bacterial infections among infants who consumed powdered formula from the plant. Two of the babies died.