Plant where recalled baby formula was manufactured deemed “unsanitary” by FDA
Just over a month ago we wrote about the recall of Alimentum, EleCare, and Similac baby formula after they were linked to numerous bacterial infections. Parent company Abbot expanded the recall about a week later after an infant tragically lost its life. Now comes news that federal safety inspectors found that Abbot’s manufacturing plant where the formula was produced “failed to maintain sanitary conditions and procedures."
The FDA’s report is littered with troubling examples of unsanitary conditions and a failure to correct known issues by both Abbot and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The problems at the plant date back almost 3 years with the FDA noting a history of contamination of the bacteria known as cronobacter as early as the fall of 2019. Abbot was also aware of issues relating to unsanitary conditions, temperature controls, and employees not washing their hands as recently as September of 2021. While Abbot was notified of the FDA’s concerns, it doesn’t appear that the FDA pressed them to correct the issues.
Unsanitary conditions at Abbot’s plant have yet to be directly linked to the baby formula bacteria contamination in question, it’s clear though there’s a troublesome trend here. For their part, Abbot wants consumers to know they’re working to rectify this. They released a response to the latest findings where they stated that they’re “taking this very seriously and working closely with the FDA to implement corrective actions.”
Abbot has established a website where parents can verify if they’ve purchased one of the many recalled baby formulas.
To read the full story by CBS News, follow this link: https://cbsn.ws/3tFqX13