Abbott says it will resume producing Similacbaby formula within two weeks at its Michigan plant.- Since February, the outage for the leading brand has led to severe
shortages across the US.
As the US shortage of baby formula approaches its fourth month, a measure of relief could be on the horizon.
Abbott Nutrition said on Monday that it had $4 with the US Food and Drug Administration that will allow it to resume production of Similac baby formula at the company's plant in Michigan.
"This is a major step toward re-opening our Sturgis facility so we can ease the nationwide formula shortage," Abbott CEO Robert Ford said in a statement. "We know millions of parents and caregivers depend on us and we're deeply sorry that our voluntary recall worsened the nationwide formula shortage."
The company also noted that it has flown in millions of cans of powdered formula from its facility in Ireland, and increased production at its sites in Ohio and Arizona.
Abbott's chief competitors — Nestlé and Mead Johnson — have also been taking dramatic measures to replace the shortfall that reached $4 at the beginning of May.
Mead Johnson, which produces Enfamil at three locations in the US, told Reuters that it has granted "$4" to staff in order to boost production.
"We normally might pack an entire truck before we ship it. For timeliness, we're not doing that. We're packing it with as much product as we have and then we're just getting it out the door," a company executive told Reuters.
Enfamil now represents half the US formula market, up from roughly a third before the shortages began. Taken together the leading three companies represent $4.
Nestlé, which makes Gerber and Alfamino formulas, said Tuesday it was accelerating production in Switzerland and the Netherlands and $4.
In a statement to Insider, the company said it was prioritizing deliveries to hospitals, with a particular emphasis on formulas made for babies who have allergies to cow's milk protein.
The increased imports follow a $4 calling on the
In a press call on Monday night, senior administration officials said the federal government is offering logistical support to move formula supplies from factories and ports to store shelves, and that the timing is expected to take "a couple of weeks."