Baby Formula Production to Resume at Michigan Plant
In response to baby formula shortages nationwide, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan issued a consent decree on Monday to allow Abbott Nutrition to restart manufacturing formula at the Sturgis, Michigan, plant within two weeks.
The Food and Drug Administration issued a warning on Feb. 17 to consumers to not use certain powdered infant formula products from Abbott Nutrition’s Sturgis facility, and a voluntary recall of the formula was issued by the manufacturer on the same day.
A bacteria that can be deadly for infants, known as Cronobacter sakazakii, was discovered at the facility during inspections that occurred from January to March, and is said to be a contributing cause of a few infant deaths.
Under the proposed consent decree, Abbott Nutrition will be required to retain an independent expert to review the Sturgis facility’s operations to ensure compliance with the law, according to a statement from the FDA.
According to research from Datasembly, which provides real-time product pricing, more than 40% of baby formula was out of stock during the week of May 8.
National infant formula sales by volume and unit for the month of April were up more than 13% and 5%, respectively, compared with the month prior to the recall, according to data cited by the FDA from Information Resources Inc., a data analytics and market research company.
Formula manufacturers across the country are producing at an expanded capacity.
Gerber has reported a 50% increase for March and April, and Reckitt a 30% increase year to date.
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