Damage from severe storms, including flooding, forced the Sturgis plant to shut down operations in mid-June just two weeks after restarting production with additional decontamination and safety protocols. Production of EleCare, a specialty formula for infants with severe food allergies and digestive problems, has been restored in Sturgis after a July 1 restart, Abbott spokesman John Koval said. “We are working to restart Similac production as soon as possible. We will provide more information when we have it,” he said via email. Abbott recalled several top brands of formula in February, including Similac. This compressed supplies that had already been pressured by supply chain disruptions and stockpiling during the COVID-19 shutdowns. The shortage was most dire for children with allergies, digestive problems and metabolic disorders who rely on special formulas. President Joe Biden’s administration has since relaxed import rules for foreign manufacturers, moved formula from Europe and invoked federal emergency rules to prioritize U.S. production. Abbott is one of only four companies that make about 90 percent of US formula. Koval declined to say how much of Abbot’s total U.S. supply of infant formula is produced at the Sturgis plant. The plant was shut down in February after the Food and Drug Administration began investigating four bacterial infections among infants who consumed powdered formula from the plant. Two of the babies died. The company says its products have not been directly linked to the infections, which involved different bacterial strains. FDA inspectors eventually uncovered a number of violations at the plant, including bacterial contamination, a leaking roof and lax safety protocols. On Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration announced plans to help foreign infant formula makers who have sent supplies secure long-term marketing authorization for their formula in the US. or future shortages. FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf and Susan Mayne, director of the agency’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, said in a statement that the Sturgis plant shutdown “combined with unpredictable natural weather events has shown how vulnerable the supply chain has become. .”
