The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has signed a contract with Abbott Nutrition on a plan to restart production at its Michigan baby food factory to combat the famine crisis.
In February of this year, Abbott Nutrition initiated a product recall after four reports of illnesses were reported in infants who ate powdered formula in Sturgis, Michigan, which helps address the ongoing shortage of infant formula.
“Following a six-week review, FDA researchers released a list of issues in March, including lax safety and hygiene standards and a history of bacterial contamination in parts of the facility,” the Associated Press reported.
“Abbott of Chicago emphasized that its products are not directly related to bacterial infections in children,” the company added. “The bacteria samples found on his plant did not match the strains collected from the children by federal researchers.”
Shortages followed, with the ongoing supply chain crisis with Abbott just one of four companies controlling 90 percent of the baby food market.
Abbott Nutrition said Monday that the FDA agreement provides “the steps necessary to continue production and service at the facility,” but that would still require court approval. After getting official FDA clearance, Abbott said it could resume baby food production for two weeks. According to ABC News, purchasing the formula will take a total of six to eight weeks.
Baby food shelves in Washington DC were empty on May 11, 2022. (via STEPHANIE REYNOLDS/AFP, Getty Images)
“The company’s number one priority is to provide babies and their families with the high-quality food they need, and this is an important step toward reopening our facility,” said Robert B. Ford, Abbott Chairman and CEO. So that we can reduce the national baby food shortage in Sturgis. ”
“We look forward to working with the FDA to reopen the facility quickly and safely,” Ford said.
The Biden administration has been heavily criticized for the way it has handled the crisis. On Monday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre claimed that the administration has been serious about the budget deficit since February.
“It’s something he’s focused on, and I said again that we’ve been doing it 24/7 since we found out in February,” Jean-Pierre said at the daily briefing.
Source: Breitbart
