A spokesperson for Abbott announced on Saturday, July 9, that the company's facility in Sturgis, Michigan, has resumed production of EleCare formula on July 1 after it was forced to shut down for three weeks due to flooding from severe storms.
A previous months-long closure of the Michigan plant had helped to drive a baby formula shortage in the United States, according to CNN. Abbott said at the time of the recent closure that it had stopped production of its EleCare product in order to assess damage caused by the storm and clean and re-sanitize the plant.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Friday, July 8, that the agency expects the measures and steps it is taking, and the resumption of production at Abbott Nutrition's Sturgis, Michigan facility, will mean more and more supply is on the way or on store shelves moving forward.
Abbott's Michigan plant closure worsened baby formula shortages
Abbott had said it would restart production of EleCare, followed by metabolic and specialty formulas, after it reopened. The Sturgis plant had previously been shut down for months after an FDA inspection found Cronobacter sakazakii bacteria, which can be deadly to infants, in several areas of the facility.
Alimentum, EleCare, and Similac powdered infant formulas made at the Michigan facility were recalled, and the plant closure exacerbated shortages caused by supply chain disruptions. Families across the country have struggled for months to find formula for infants as well as for people with specific nutrition needs.
Production had been underway in the Sturgis factory for less than two weeks before the closure from the storm, according to NPR. According to data from market research firm Information Resources Incorporated (IRI) through July 3, more than 20 percent of formula products (powder, ready-to-drink and liquid) have been out of stock for the past month in the U.S.
Before Abbott Nutrition made the nationwide infant formula recall in February, about 10 percent of infant formula products were typically out of stock. Through Operation Fly Formula, the Biden administration has delivered millions of pounds of powdered formula to the U.S.
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President Biden announced last July 6 that flights have been facilitated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), for Operation Fly Formula to transport Kendamil baby formula from England to New York, New York on July 17 and 22 respectively.
According to the White House, these two key deliveries will include in total approximately 200,000 pounds of Kendamil EU Organic First Infant Milk Stage 1 and Kendamil EU Classic First Infant Milk Stage 1, the equivalent of approximately 3.1 million 8-ounce bottles.
Despite the continuous missions of Operation Fly Formula, stock rates for powder formula in the U.S. specifically are even worse. More than 30 percent of powder formula products were out of stock during the week ending July 3, up slightly from 29 percent the prior week and 27 percent the week before that.
