RECIPE FOR DISASTER

Flooding Halts Production at Abbott Baby Formula Plant That Led to Shortages

The shutdown comes less than two weeks after production resumed at the embattled factory.

For baby-formula manufacturer Abbott, when it rains it pours. Flooding caused by powerful storms across the Midwest led the company to shut down its troubled plant in Sturgis, Michigan, Abbott announced Wednesday. The firm said production and distribution of its products made at the factory will now be delayed for “a few weeks.” News of the stoppage comes after the plant resumed production of its formulas on June 4 after a separate shutdown following a product recall issued by the FDA and the deaths of several infants. A shortage of formula across the U.S. was compounded by Abbott’s FDA snafu, but the company insists the interruption in production won’t lead to new shortages. “Based upon historical demand and current projections, Abbott has ample existing supply of EleCare and most of its specialty and metabolic formulas to meet needs for these products until new product is available,” the company said in a statement.