WASHINGTON D.C. (WKZO AM/FM) – Southwest Michigan Congressman Fred Upton is seeking answers on why it took so long to inspect and return to production a baby formula factory in Sturgis. The shutdown of the Abbott Nutrition facility is being blamed in part for the shortage of baby formula nationwide.
In a newsletter Friday, Upton said, ” I am hoping (yes, I am an optimist always) that by the end of the weekend, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Abbott Nutrition will have resolved safety issues at their facility in Sturgis allowing them to start up again. In my discussions with both Abbott and the FDA, it will still take 6-8 weeks to actually see the formula back on the shelves once the green light is given.”
“The Energy and Commerce Oversight Subcommittee will be holding a hearing later this month to see what we can do to prevent such in the future. I intend to be at the Sturgis facility again before the month is out to offer my assistance in any way.”
Upton says he has heard story after story of infants needing the specialized formula in addition to regular formula that is essential, and that late last year, the Women, Infants and Children’s program (WIC) switched to Abbott infant formula, causing this shortage is having a profound effect on low-income families.
WIC is a federally funded assistance program, with 85% of participants in the program use baby formula.
The multi-month halt of production has left shelves empty at the local and national level and Upton says will only continue to worsen until Abbott can resume production.
Upton says legislation passed by Congress has boosted the FDA’s budget by nearly $500M, enabling them to get cures and medical devices approved faster.
“After all, if we were going to demand faster cures, we would have to give them more resources to approve them for use,” Upton said in his newsletter.
