Abbott, the main manufacturer of infant milk formula in the United States, reactivated the factory located in Sturgis, in the state of Michigan, after several months of closure, the company said on Saturday (4). The stoppage aggravated the problems of shortage of the product in the country.
In May, Abbott announced that it had reached an agreement with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a US agency similar to Anvisa in Brazil, to reopen as quickly as possible the Michigan plant, which was closed after at least four babies have suffered a bacterial infection and two of them died after consuming milk produced in the unit.
The FDA encountered health problems at the site, which is why Abbott’s Michigan plant had to shut down operations in February. The company also withdrew several products from the market. Since then, supply problems have left many parents unable to get the formula from American supermarkets, which has become a contention between Democrats and Republicans. Abbott explained in a statement that it will prioritize the production of formula milk for babies with food allergies and digestion issues, for whom there are few nutritional alternatives.
The factory reopening is one of the steps US President Joe Biden has pledged to take in response to the shortage. In mid-May, Biden authorized the Department of Defense to use his contracts with commercial airlines to import powdered milk from anywhere in the world.
The president also invoked a Cold War-era law to speed up milk powder production in the United States. Those most affected are children with food allergies or digestive problems, as Abbott is the only company that produces formulas specifically designed for these cases.
In the US, four companies produce about 90% of infant formula, which has exacerbated a shortage caused in part by global supply problems caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite the reopening of the Michigan plant, officials have already warned that it will take about two months for infant formula supplies to return to normal levels.
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