Abbott no relation food recall
In 2022, the United States experienced a severe shortage of infant formula as a result of the 2021–2022 global supply chain crisis compounded by a large scale product recall after two babies allegedly died after consuming Abbott infant formula, import restrictions, and market concentration. Unlike other food products, infant formula often does not have an available and acceptable substitute as a source of nutrition for those who rely on it. In addition to infants, the formula recalls affected non-infant medical patients who require nasogastric feeding or have certain other conditions.On May 14, nationwide out-of-stock rates were reported to be 43%, up from 31% two weeks prior; by May 22, they had surged to 70%, where they remained through the start of July. (The Wall Street Journal states that the normal out-of-stock rate is 10%, while other sources say that in the first half of 2021, out-of-stock rates were 2%-8%.) In many places, store shelves were bare. Delaware, Kansas, and Tennessee were reported to be the hardest-hit states. On May 27, FDA Commissioner Robert Califf reported to the Senate Health Committee that shortages would continue into July. Effects of the shortage were also felt in Canada.Recall and plant shutdown
The problem was exacerbated when Abbott Labs, one of three major formula producers in the United States, shut down production at its Sturgis, Michigan plant in February 2022, following a Food and Drug Administration recall of several brands of formula due to possible bacterial contamination that may have caused at least two infant deaths. Abbott produces 40% of the formula sold in the US, mostly under the Similac brand, and the Sturgis facility is its largest. The bacterium which sickened the infants, Cronobacter sakazakii, was found at the Sturgis plant. The CDC performed whole genome sequencing on Cronobacter bacteria from two patient samples, and found that the samples were not closely related to strains collected in the Sturgis plant, or to each other. In a press release, Abbott cited the CDC report and stated, "there is no evidence to link our formulas to these infant illnesses". FDA officials disputed this claim, citing the shortage of genetic data on C. sakazakii in the CDC database, making identification and comparison of strains difficult, and the high likelihood of missed detection of all strains at the plant using the procedures currently in place. The CEO of Abbott apologized for the voluntary recall on May 22, stating that their voluntary recall had exacerbated the infant formula shortage in the US, while also stating that the voluntary recall was the "right thing to do."On June 10, the FDA stated that it was investigating reports that nine children died after consuming infant formula produced in the Sturgis plant, seven more than were previously acknowledged by the agency. In all nine reported fatalities, the agency was unable to identify the source of the infection. Abbott Nutrition maintained that no causal relationship had been established between its products and any of the reported infant deaths. The report was brought to the light by a FOIA request by eFoodAlert, a website for food safety information.
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