ABBOTT NUTRITION

Congressman Fred Upton is eager for the baby formula plant in his district to be up and running again. Upton, R-St. Joseph, relayed his sense of urgency after touring the Abbott Nutrition facility Wednesday, May 25. The tour came as the country faces a shortage of baby formula worsened by the closure of the factory. Abbott Nutrition’s Michigan formula plant, the largest in the U.S., has been closed since February due to contamination problems. Related: Can’t find baby formula?

Sluggish response and questionable decisions by the Food and Drug Administration exacerbated the nation's infant formula shortage, officials say.

Abbott Nutrition and U.K.-based Kendal Nutricare plan to ship more than 2 million cans of formula.

Abbott Nutrition and U.K.-based Kendal Nutricare plan to ship more than 2 million cans of formula.

The Federal Trade Commission is launching an investigation into whether mergers in the baby formula industry contributed to the current shortage.

For months, families have been visiting store after store, looking for infant formula. RELATED: ‘I can’t feed him Coca Cola and a sandwich’: Formula feeding moms say attention is late comingThe shortage is now getting some attention. The shortage worsened in February when Abbott Nutrition, a major formula supplier, recalled products linked to harmful bacteria. WIC, which serves low- to moderate-income families, is allowing parents to purchase alternate brands and sizes of formula with their WIC benefits. If families have extra formula, Frey recommends they find a reputable place to either donate it or post it as available for other parents.

But Abbott has said that, after production resumes, it could take about two months before new formula begins arriving in stores. The company's factory has been closed due to contamination problems.

FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf faced a bipartisan grilling from House lawmakers over the baby formula issue that has angered American parents and become a political liability for President Joe Biden. The problems are largely tied to Abbott Nutrition’s Michigan formula plant, the largest in the U.S., which has been closed since February due to contamination problems. The FDA announced a preliminary agreement with Abbott earlier this week to restart production, pending safety upgrades and certifications. Abbott shut its Michigan plant in February after FDA inspectors began investigating four bacterial infections in infants who had consumed formula from the plant. The baby formula shortage is the first major crisis for Califf since returning to the FDA in February.

The move comes amid a nationwide shortage of infant formula after the nation's largest production plant was closed down due to contamination issues.

The head of the Food and Drug Administration told lawmakers Thursday that a shuttered baby formula factory could be up and running as soon as next week, though he sidestepped questions about whether his agency should have intervened earlier...

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer on Friday reached out to leaders at Abbott Nutrition, whose Sturgis Plant was shut down following a recall, about getting production of its baby formula back on track.

At the center of the nationwide baby formula shortage is a single factory: Abbott Nutrition's plant that has been closed for more than three months because of contamination problems.

At the center of the nationwide baby formula shortage is a single factory: Abbott Nutrition's plant that has been closed for more than three months because of contamination problems.

Abbott, one of the largest formula-makers in the U.S., has reached an agreement with the government to bring a closed factory back on line. And the FDA is easing some restrictions on imported formula.

Abbott Nutrition said it will still take months to get the product back on the shelves.

A woman shops for baby formula at Target in Annapolis, Maryland, on May 16, 2022, as a nationwide shortage of baby formula continues due to supply chain crunches tied to the coronavirus pandemic that have already strained the countrys formula stock, an issue that was further exacerbated by a major product recall in February. Abbott has reached an agreement with the Food and Drug Administration to reopen its manufacturing plant in Michigan to help ease a nationwide shortage of baby formula, the company announced on Monday. Abbott said it can restart the Michigan plant within two weeks subject to FDA approval. Mothers are struggling to find formula for their infants amid a nationwide shortage that has left shelves empty in many stores. In February, Abbott issued a voluntary recall of its Similac PM 60/40, Similac, Alimentum and EleCare products made at the Michigan plant.

President Joe Biden's administration has announced new steps to ease the national shortage of baby formula, including allowing more imports from overseas.

Regular and specialized baby formulas have been running low across the U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand says she will ask President Biden to consider using the Defense Production Act to boost production.

Many parents are hunting for infant formula after a combination of short- and long-term problems hit the biggest U.S. brands.

President Joe Biden on Thursday will speak with companies that manufacture and sell baby formula as well as announce new actions to address supply shortages, a White House official said.

For months stores nationwide have been struggling to stock enough baby formula. Manufacturers say they're producing at full capacity and making as much formula as they can, but it's still not enough to meet current demand.

Several major retailers and stores are placing limits on how much baby formula you can buy due to ongoing product shortages. Here’s what you need to know about the 2022 baby formula shortage. Why is there a baby formula shortage? What stores are rationing baby formula? “The younger they are, the easier it is to just introduce multiple types of formula to make them flexible.”When will the baby formula shortage end?

Retailers are limiting purchases of baby formula, while customers are struggling to find it at all, amid a shortage tied to a recent recall of Similac and other brands produced by Abbott Nutrition. The recall exacerbated existing formula inventory troubles due to supply chain snarls and ingredient shortages brought on by the pandemic. Now, families in some parts of the country are finding formula tough to come by. Target, Walmart, Kroger, Walgreens and CVS were rationing formula purchases online and in some stores as of Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reported. This is why some retailers have put in place quantity restrictions.”Consumers are having to “shop around” for formula, Saunders said, searching multiple locations and routinely encountering empty shelves and online out-of-stock messages.

Baby Daxton Jackson made his way into the world on Oct. 31, 2021.Mom Wendy Jackson, a medical doctor herself, wanted to breastfeed, but she wasn’t producing enough milk, so she did what she thought was the next best thing, and she turned to the Similac formula Oakwood Hospital provided her with.

Southfield based attorney filing 5 lawsuits against Abbott Nutrition on behalf of families who say their babies became ill after drinking recalled baby formula.

In response to the Abbott Nutrition infant formula recall, Michigan WIC is expanding its temporary list of WIC-authorized powder baby formula substitutes.

In response to the Abbott Nutrition infant formula recall, Michigan WIC is expanding its temporary list of WIC-authorized powder baby formula substitutes.

The FDA now cautions against using a specific lot of Abbott Nutrition's Similac PM 60/40 after a second infant dies. Abbott voluntarily recalled the specialty product on Monday.

Abbott Nutrition is recalling one lot of Similac PM 60/40 powdered infant formula due to another report of a dangerous bacterial infection.

A Help Me Hank Consumer Alert for parents.

Parents are encouraged to check their formula.

Abbott Nutrition voluntarily recalled some powdered formulas sold under the Similac, Alimentum and EleCare brands. The FDA is investigating links to 4 bacterial infections, one of which was fatal.