The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday that “the agency expects the actions and steps it is taking, and the resumption of production at Abbott Nutrition’s Sturgis, Mich., facility will mean more and more supplies are on the way or in stores. the shelves move forward.” Abbott had said it would restart production of EleCare, followed by specialty and metabolic formulas, once it reopened. The plant had previously been shut down for months after an FDA inspection found Cronobacter sakazakii bacteria, which can be fatal to infants, in several areas. Similac, Alimentum and EleCare powdered infant formula made at the plant were recalled, and the shutdown compounded shortages caused by supply chain disruptions. Families across the United States have been struggling for months to find formula for infants and people with special nutritional needs. Production had been underway for less than two weeks before being shut down by the storm. More than 20% of formula products — powder, ready-to-drink and liquid — were out of stock last month, according to data through July 3 from market research firm Information Resources Incorporated (IRI). Prior to Abbott Nutrition’s nationwide infant formula recall in February, approximately 10% of infant formula products were typically out of stock. The Biden administration has delivered millions of pounds of powdered formula through Operation Fly Formula, but stockpile rates specifically for powdered formula are even worse. More than 30% of powdered formula products were out of stock during the week ending July 3, down slightly from 29% the previous week and 27% the week before. CNN’s Jamie Gumbrecht and Deidre McPhillips contributed to this report.
