Topline
Abbott Laboratories has reached an agreement with the Food and Drug Administration to reopen its baby formula plant in Sturgis, Michigan, the company announced Monday, raising hopes that a national formula shortage—fueled partly by the Sturgis plant’s closure due to safety concerns—will be over in a matter of weeks.
Key Facts
Once the FDA confirms that the plant is ready to reopen, it could resume production of baby formula within two weeks, after which it would take an additional six to eight weeks for products to hit store shelves, the company said in a statement.
Abbott said it will first resume production of the hypoallergenic formulas Alimentum and EleCare and formulas for babies with metabolic disorders, followed by other products.
The Sturgis plant closed in February after regulators launched an investigation into possible links between formula produced there and a series of infant bacterial infections and two deaths.
However, the company said a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigation found no link between Abbott formulas and the infections.
Abbott products account for a large proportion of U.S. baby formula sales, and closure of the plant contributed to a national shortage of formula, made worse by spiking inflation.
Further Reading
“Baby Formula Shortage Worsened By Shopping Bots Buying Up Inventory” (Forbes)