‘We’re sorry about baby formula shortage’: Abbott CEO details ‘serious steps’ company taking ‘to fix it’

As parents across America scramble to secure baby formula, Robert Ford, CEO of Abbott Laboratories, one of the nation’s leading producers of baby formula, has apologized to frantic families and detailed the “serious steps” his company is taking to address the shortage.

In a Saturday op-ed for The Washington Post, Ford wrote, “We’re sorry to every family we’ve let down since our voluntary recall exacerbated our nation’s baby formula shortage.”

However, said Ford, the recall of several of its powdered baby formula products made at its Sturgis, MI, plant this February was “the right thing to do” after four infants reportedly fell ill.

“We believe our voluntary recall was the right thing to do,” he wrote. “We will not take risks when it comes to the health of children.”

After an investigation, notes Ford, it was found the rare infection that tragically roved fatal to two of the four infants, was not, it turned out, linked to Abbott’s products.

“The data collected during the investigation, genetic sequencing, retained product samples and available roduct from the four complaints did not find any connection between our products and the four reported illnesses in children,” Ford stated. “However, the FDA’s investigation did discover a bacteria in our plant that we will not tolerate.”

“I have high expectations of this company,” he continued, “and we fell short of them.”

Of particular concern to Ford are reports that some children have been hospitalized due to a shortage of EleCare, a product formulated for children who are unable to digest other formulas and milks.

“I will not mince words — this is tragic and heartbreaking, and it is consuming my thoughts and those of my colleagues,” Ford said.

In order to ensure “safe, quality formula” is swiftly filling shelves once again, Ford says the company is taking several steps, including repurposing production lines at Abbott’s Columbus, OH, plant to “prioritize production of ready-to-feed liquid infant formula” and air-shipping “millions of cans” of its most popular powdered infant formula to the U.S. from an FDA-approved facility in Ireland.

Additionally, says Ford, Abbott has entered into a consent decree with the FDA to expedite the reopening of its closed Michigan plant. Ford expects the facility will restart “by the first week of June,” and from there, it will take six to eight weeks to get the product on the shelves.

“When we are operating our Michigan facility at full capacity, we will more than double our current production of powdered infant formula for the United States,” promises Ford, adding that Abbott will exceed pre-recall production by the end of June.

In order to ensure a crisis such as this never happens again, Ford says Abbott has plans “to expand both capacity and redundancy.” That, plus upgrades to “safety and quality processes and equipment” mark “significant investments” by Abbott going forward.

As for those families of children who were hospitalized as a result of the shortage of EleCare, Abbott is establishing an independently administered  $5 million fund “to help these families with medical and living expenses as they weather this storm.”

While Ford acknowledges that Abbott’s steps won’t immediately end the struggles of affected families, he vows the company “will not rest” until the shortage is fixed.

“I want everyone to trust us to do what is right,” Ford wrote, “and I know that must be earned back.”

Meanwhile, President Biden, after ignoring warnings of an impending formula shortage for months, has finally taken some official steps of his own to end the crisis.

On Wednesday, Biden announced he has invoked the Defense Production Act to force U.S. companies to produce formula domestically, while “Operation Fly Formula” will use federal planes to airlift formula from Europe to anxious Americans.

 

Melissa Fine

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