FDA chief: Shuttered baby formula plant could reopen soon

The head of the Food and Drug Administration said Monday that a shuttered baby formula factory should reopen within two weeks, potentially easing a serious nationwide shortage.

FDA Director Robert Califf said he was “comfortable” with Abbott Nutrition’s prediction that its plant could be up and running again in about two weeks after being closed since February over a bacterial contamination issue.

“Abbott ... said about two weeks,” Califf told NBC News. “That’s entirely within the realm of possibility and I think quite likely.”

The shuttered plant quickly became a tipping point in the nationwide shortage of baby formula that has put parents on edge and sparked partisan political rancor.

Industry executives say the constraints began last year as the COVID-19 pandemic led to disruptions in ingredients, labor and transportation. Supplies were further squeezed by parents stockpiling during lockdowns.

Califf, who has six grandchildren including one who is on baby formula, said the government is working hard to ease the shortage but wants to make sure any formula on the market is safe.

“I know how important this is to parents and the entire FDA staff is entirely focused on this,” Califf said. “But we also have to be safe.”

Califf said the FDA would investigate why it took three months from when a whistleblower first complained to when the agency sent inspectors in January to investigate possible contamination issues at the plant.

“We always want to be as fast as we can possibly be while also being diligent,” Califf said.