Pharmaceutical Company Plans Multi-Million Dollar Facility To Produce More Infant Formula
If you were looking for baby formula in recent months, you were likely met with empty shelves or a purchase limit if formula was available. While baby food has thankfully remained available for older babies, according to CNN, one-third of all homes with a baby under 1 reported difficulty finding formula for their infants. Healthy Children recommended families reach out on social media groups to find the formula they needed or to search online to get it delivered.
The infant formula crisis in America started back in May when Abbott, the leading producer of infant formula, was forced to shut down one of its largest plants. The cause of the shutdown was due to bacteria found on site that may have been linked to infant deaths, per CNBC. After the shutdown, it was reported that over 40 percent of formula products were out of stock, causing parents all over the country to panic. A few months later, the facility was shut down again due to flooding and bad weather, creating even more shortages. To add even more concern to the crisis, Abbott announced a baby formula recall for many of their products this month.
Recently, Abbot made an announcement about their future plans to manage the crisis.
Abbott is taking a big step to help the shortage of infant formula
Abbott, a pharmaceutical company that produces infant formula, is at the forefront of the formula shortage crisis here in the United States, per CNN. Since their facility in Sturgis, Michigan was shut down, parents have been in crisis mode and many have found major issues when it comes to feeding their babies. In September 2022, four months after the initial shutdown took place, Abbott announced that Similac formula was back in production and would return to shelves in six weeks. And while that was good news for some parents, other parents who use specialty formulas were still out of luck.
Recently, Abbott announced they would begin building a $500 million facility to produce specialty and metabolic infant formula. During a call with their investors, Robert Ford, the Chairman and CEO of Abbott, said that they are "in the final stages of determining the site location and will work with regulators and other experts to ensure this facility is state-of-the-art and sets a new standard for infant formula production."
While this facility is still a long way away, it will hopefully mark the end of the infant formula crisis.