STURGIS MICH. (WXYZ) — Abbott Nutrition announced today that it has resumeed production at their formula plant in Sturgis after entering into a consent decree with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
"Our number one priority is getting infants and families the high-quality formulas they need, and this is a major step toward re-opening our Sturgis facility so we can ease the nationwide formula shortage. We look forward to working with the FDA to quickly and safely re-open the facility," said Robert B. Ford, chairman and chief executive officer, Abbott. "We know millions of parents and caregivers depend on us and we're deeply sorry that our voluntary recall worsened the nationwide formula shortage. We will work hard to re-earn the trust that moms, dads and caregivers have placed in our formulas for more than 50 years."
Forced to shut down in February after a recall of contaminated products, Abbott said today's reopening of their Sturgis today means their formula may be back on store shelves on June 20.
Abbott will first produce EleCare, a hypoallergenic formula for babies with severe food allergies or gastrointestinal (GI) disorders at the Sturgis facility with other specialty formulas to follow.
Abbott Nutrition products make up 40% of the baby formula market. Abbotts’ Sturgis plant is the company's largest formula factory in the U.S. Abbott Nutrition products make up 40% of the market
All products produced at the Sturgis facility will undergo enhanced microbiological testing before they are released, the FDA said.
"Our safety and quality processes meet even the toughest scrutiny and we're committed to continuously improving our processes and protocols," Ford said. "Nutrition is fundamental to Abbott and to our goal of improving the lives of more than 3 billion people by decade's end. We intend to set the standard for the industry, raising the bar on both safety and quality."
