The American group Abbott agreed with the American justice to restart its production of powdered milk for babies at its Michigan plant in order to alleviate the shortage of this vital product for children, the group and the Department of Justice announced on Monday.
The United States is experiencing a rare shortage of powdered baby milk that worries millions of parents.
Initially caused by supply chain problems and labor shortages from the pandemic, the shortage was compounded in February when an Abbott factory closed in Michigan following the recall of products suspected of killing two babies.
The US drug agency (FDA) exonerated “483” milk, but discovered irregularities related to the factory, Abbott said on Friday, noting that it “immediately began to carry out corrective actions.”
The Ministry of Justice and Abbott specified in a separate statement that the agreement must still be validated by a judge.
But the maker, one of the biggest players in the baby milk market, hopes to reopen its Michigan factory within the next two weeks. He repeated that he would then need “6 to 8 weeks before his products are available on shelves.”
During that time it will continue to import baby milk from its factory in Ireland to try to limit shortages in the United States.
“We know that millions of parents and caregivers depend on us and we deeply regret that our voluntary recall has exacerbated the shortage of breast milk on a national scale,” the group said on Monday.
“We will work hard to earn back the trust that moms, dads and caregivers have placed in our powders for over 50 years.”
