Abbott Baby Formula Plant Again Stops Production, This Time Because of Flooding
The milk powder plant in Sturgis, Mississippi resumed production within two weeks after a month-long closure that exacerbated the national shortage, but after some of the facilities were flooded during a severe storm. It was closed again.
Abbott Nutrition, the company that operates the factory Said on wednesday After stormy weather passed southwestern Michigan on Monday, Sturgis, one of its five manufacturing sites, had to stop producing EleCare specialty formulas.
In February, Abbott closed and recalled the factory Batch of Similac, Alimentum, EleCare formula After the Food and Drug Administration has received four consumer complaints about prescription-related bacterial infections.
On Wednesday, the company assessed damage from the storm and cleaned the plant, delaying production and distribution by a few weeks, but said that EleCare and most of its specialty and metabolic formulas were sufficient to meet demand. Stated. A new formula is available.
Read more about infant formula shortages
- Understand the shortage: Only a handful of companies produce infant formula for the US market, and the closure of the Abbott Laboratories plant had a major impact.
- Premature baby: Many newborns spending time in the NICU rely on special formulas for their prosperity after returning home. If the shortage continues, parents will not be able to find it anywhere.
- Pumping for cause: In New York City, the shortage encouraged major volunteer activities, and some mothers donated excess milk to help other parents.
- Emotional sacrifice: The shortage has forced many new mothers to make breastfeeding more difficult, and some are looking for ways to resume after stopping.
“These products are being released to consumers in need in collaboration with healthcare professionals,” he said.
FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf said authorities were informed of the outage but were not expected to have a significant impact given the increased imports of formulas and production by Abbott and other manufacturers.
“This is an unfortunate setback, reminding us that natural weather events can cause unexpected supply chain disruptions, but government efforts to increase supply meet current demand. Means there are enough products for. ” He said in a Twitter statement..
He made Similar remarks At a Senate committee hearing on Thursday, the FDA said it was working closely with Abbott to get the plant up and running “as quickly as possible.”
The storm cut off electricity and caused wind damage, and the city’s municipal airport recorded 1.5 inches of rain. Reported by Sturgis Journal..
The factory shutdown is the latest twist on infant formula in the United States, which began earlier this year when parents had difficulty finding infant formula due to pandemic-related supply chain issues, including a lack of some ingredients. did.
After the February closure, Abbott said that Increased production At another manufacturing plant in the United States and one manufacturing plant in Ireland.
Abbott and other producers are increasing production as the government relaxes import restrictions. “This means that even before the Sturges plant resumes production, the total amount of formula available exceeds the demand for formula before the recall,” said FDA Commissioner Dr. Califf says.
Navigating infant formula shortage in the United States
Increasing problems. The national shortage of infant formula, partially caused by supply chain problems and exacerbated by a recall by baby food maker Abbott Nutrition, confused and worried parents. Here are some ways to manage this uncertainty:
Abbott will resume production of EleCare at its Sturgis plant on June 4, and will be released to consumers around June 20, and resuming production of Similac and other formulas is “working hard.” I have. ” But after the flood, the timing seems unclear.
“Once the plant is re-sterilized and production resumes, we will resume production of EleCare, followed by special and metabolic formulas,” the company said in a statement late Wednesday. “At the same time, we will strive to resume Similac production at the factory as soon as possible.”
A shortage of infant formula could be a political and public health disaster. President Biden has enacted the Defense Production Act to increase production and has approved the use of Pentagon planes for “Operation Fly Formula.”
In May, under this program, the first shipment of a series of international shipments of infant formula was sent to the United States, speeding up imports and initiating inventories in stores. The seventh shipment will take place on Thursday when Nestlé milk powder is shipped from Switzerland to Louisville, Kentucky. The White House said.
