Not the Bee by Daniel Payne 5/11/2022
Um, was anyone aware that the largest baby formula plant in the United States has been shut down for 3 months and the Biden administration isn't allowing it to open back up?
You'd think this would be bigger news. You'd think it would be maybe the biggest piece of news in the country. But if you're like me, you just found out about it (checks watch) literally right now:
FDA refuses to say when America's largest formula plant will reopen
Abbott Laboratories claims it is not responsible for the bacteria outbreak that killed two babies. The formula manufacturer also said it is 'working closely with the FDA to restart operations' at the plant.
In mid-February Abbott Laboratories issued a nationwide baby formula recall and ceased operations at its plant in Sturgis, Michigan amid reports of babies contracting bacterial infections from its products.
An Abbott spokesperson told DailyMail.com Tuesday that 'thorough investigation' by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Abbott revealed 'infant formula produced at our Sturgis facility is not the likely source of infection in the reported cases and that there was not an outbreak caused by products from the facility'.
However, despite the findings of the investigation, the plant remains shuttered nearly three months later, fueling the nationwide baby formula shortage.
The FDA - which said it found food safety violations at the plant, as well as five strains of Cronobacter, a bacteria that can cause blood infections and meningitis - has refused to say when the plant can resume operations.
This is not normal and it's not okay. Baby formula is an indispensable consumer product. It's food. It's food for babies.
The federal government should in no uncertain terms be able to resolve its health concerns with this company in less than three months and get the plant up and running again.
More:
https://notthebee.com/article/um-was-anyone-aware-that-the-largest-baby-formula-plant-in-the-united-states-has-been-shut-down-for-3-months-and-the-biden-administration-isnt-allowing-it-to-open-back-up
