Abbott restarts baby formula plant linked to contamination
The February shutdown of the largest formula factory in the country led to the supply problems that have forced some parents to seek formula from food banks, friends and doctor’s offices.
The February shutdown of the largest formula factory in the country led to the supply problems that have forced some parents to seek formula from food banks, friends and doctor’s offices.
President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he did not become aware of the baby formula shortage until about two months after industry leaders knew they faced a major crisis, raising new questions about the administration’s monitoring and handling of the problem.
The FDA and President Joe Biden face mounting political pressure to explain why they didn’t intervene sooner to head off the supply crisis.
A military plane carrying enough specialty infant formula for more than half a million baby bottles arrived Sunday, the first of several flights to the United States expected from Europe aimed at relieving a ongoing shortage.
FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf faced a bipartisan grilling from House lawmakers over the baby formula issue that has angered American parents and become a political liability for President Joe Biden.
The Defense Production Act order requires suppliers of formula manufacturers to fulfill orders from those companies before other customers, in an effort to eliminate production bottlenecks.
The House is expected to take up the emergency spending measure later this week before lawmakers head back to their congressional districts for the next two weeks.
The White House said it is working with all major formula producers to boost production, including reaching out to their suppliers to encourage them to prioritize production and delivery of formula ingredients.
Months of spot shortages at pharmacies and supermarkets have been exacerbated by the recall at Abbott, which was forced to close its largest U.S. formula manufacturing plant in February due to contamination concerns.
A coalition of city-county government and local community groups this week completed a final round of applications for a federal grant of up to $75 million, that could total $90 million with a required local match.
The company said the new location will allow it to expand its bagged salad and salad kit offerings to retailers and consumers throughout the Midwest and mid-south regions.
The tasting room and production site near the Boone County Courthouse will become third 1205 Distillery location, joining sites in Fletcher Place and Westfield.
As food producers raise prices, grocers and restaurants are passing the increases along to consumers for the most part, rather than have them chip away at profit margins. That strategy might not work much longer, several analysts said.
The chocolate company said it would acquire North Dakota-based Dot’s Pretzels LLC as well as Pretzels Inc., an Indiana-based manufacturer of Dot’s Pretzels and other snacks that operates three plants.
The Indianapolis-based company behind artisanal chocolate brand SoChatti plans to use the funding to launch new products and innovations into the food-production industry. It also finalized its first industrial licensing agreement.
More than a year and a half after the coronavirus pandemic upended daily life, the supply of basic goods at U.S. grocery stores and restaurants is once again falling victim to intermittent shortages and delays.
The dispute at the U.S.-Canada border is threatening America’s supply of Alaska pollock, a key fish used for popular products such as fish sticks. Most fast-food fish sandwiches, including the McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish, are made from pollock.
A perfect storm of events—from extreme weather and plant shutdowns to new government sanctions—have hit the chemical fertilizer market this year, slamming farmers already buckling under the strain of rising costs to produce food.
Two of the industry’s biggest poultry companies have agreed to settle a lawsuit that accused them and several other firms of conspiring to dominate the industry and fix the prices paid to farmers who raise the chickens.
In a memo to employees, CEO Donnie King expressed alarm over the rise of the more contagious delta variant and made clear the vaccine requirement was needed to overcome persistent hesitancy to get the shots.