Posted on 06/06/2022 3:27:41 AM PDT by blam
In what will come as welcome news to anxious parents across the country, Abbott Nutrition announced it restarted production of infant formula at its Sturgis, Michigan plant on Saturday. The company is prioritizing EleCare and other specialty and metabolic formulas, with product expected to start reaching consumers June 20.
Abbott closed the plant in February as the Food and Drug Administration investigated the deaths of two infants who succumbed to bacterial infections. Each had consumed powdered formula from the Sturgis facility, as did two other infants who were hospitalized but recovered.
The shutdown turned a preexisting shortage—fueled by supply chain problems and hoarding—into an all-out empty-shelf crisis, prompting the waiving of import regulations and restrictions, and a military airlift of formula from Europe. As of May 22, 73% of baby formula products were out of stock.
However, a detailed look at the FDA investigation suggests the three-month shutdown was unnecessary, as the FDA investigation failed to produce any evidence linking Abbott’s Sturgis facility or its formula to the illnesses and deaths.
The four infected infants consumed four different types of Abbott formula made over the course of almost a year; the illnesses took place over several months in three different states.
The bacteria that sickened the infants, Cronobacter sakazakii, is a commonly-occurring microbe found naturally in the environment; illnesses are rare, but can be deadly for infants. Though the FDA found the bacteria in areas of the plant that do not have product contact, none was found in the testing of finished product, says Abbott.
What’s more, genetic sequencing of the bacteria samples from the available samples of two sick infants did not match the strains found at the plant. They didn’t even match each other.
“In all four cases, the state, FDA, and/or CDC tested samples of the Abbott formula that was used by the child. In all four cases, all unopened containers tested negative,” according to a summary of the case Abbott posted on May 11.
Open containers were tested in three of the cases. One tested positive for two strains, one of which matched a strain found in a bottle of distilled water the family used to mix the formula.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
Powdered infant formula [can] become contaminated at home or elsewhere after the container is opened. For example, Cronobacter bacteria could get into the formula if formula lids or scoops are placed on contaminated surfaces and later touch the formula or if the formula is mixed with contaminated water or in a contaminated bottle.
This week, the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services announced an audit of the FDA’s initiation of the Abbott baby formula recall, including whether the agency “followed the inspections and recall process for infant formula in accordance with Federal requirements.”
In May 25 congressional testimony, FDA Commissioner Robert Califf acknowledged that the investigation was unable to link the Abbott plant to the illnesses.
Nonetheless, in headline-making fashion, Califf decried the conditions at the Abbott facility as “shocking.” In addition to the bacteria found in non-food-contact areas of the plant, the FDA says it found a leaky roof, cracks in equipment and lax safety protocols.
However, Americans should be wary that Califf’s FDA may be straining to justify a three-month shutdown that caused so much distress across the country.
The FDA isn’t just playing defense. It’s often the case that a federal bureaucracy’s failure—such as the NSA’s before 9/11 or the CDC’s during Covid-19—results in that bureaucracy being given even more money and power.
So too with the Great Baby Formula Crisis of 2022: On May 19, the House approved $28 million in emergency FDA funding to hire more FDA inspectors, “provide resources for personnel working on formula issues,” and “improve data collection on the infant formula marketplace.”
Speaking of marketplace data, the crisis was compounded by the concentration of the U.S. baby formula market, where just two companies—Abbott and Mead Johnson—comprise about 80% of it.
As we explained a few weeks ago, that concentration is largely the result of government policies that include 17.5% tariff-rate quotas and Trump’s USMCA trade agreement that restricts Canadian imports.
While those trade limitations are important, the welfare state is the biggest driver of market concentration. Via the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, the federal government buys about half of all infant formula used in America—and, in administering the program, each state contracts with just one producer.
If federal legislators really want to prevent future shortages, the answer is less government, not more.
Reporter: Why didn’t you move quicker on the baby formula shortage?
Biden: “I don’t think anyone anticipated the impact of the shutdown of Abbott facility.”
Reporter: “Didn’t the CEOs just tell you they understood it would have a very big impact?”
Biden:”They did but I didn’t” pic.twitter.com/ei2e1N5mkY
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) June 1, 2022
You can’t say that it was needless.
This provided Biden with two wonderful opportunities:
1) Allows him to punish American families
2) Allows him to grovel before other countries and further his agenda of Make America Garbage Again
Exactly who’s bright idea was it to shut that critical facility down? I understand there were at least two incidents of infant food poisoning, so precautions of some sort were in order.
But then, a temporary backup plan should have also been devised.
I'm reminded of a story my Father-in-Law told me about WWII rationing. He was an insurance man and visited a client in 1942... The client invited him to have a cup of coffee at the kitchen table when he noticed that the pantry had dozens upon dozens of 5 pound bags of sugar (a highly rationed staple). He asked the client why he had so much sugar... The client replied that his wife had bought the sugar "Before the Hoarders Could"!
If you go back 22 years...this FDA inspection thing is what shut down the one and only anthrax vaccine facility in Michigan. For about two months, the company wanted the Pentagon to just bypass the FDA, and when they realized the Pentagon wouldn’t cooperate....they then told the Pentagon they didn’t have the money to resolve the sanitation issues, and the government would have to pay to resolve the mess (which they did). That took around 1-year for the factory to reopen.
I would suggest there are fair number of shutdowns like this each year, and one reason why non-US sites are favored for production now.
It’s already been weaponized against people who plan ahead.
This has been known for almost a full month.
The government created this crisis.
The press has been silent.
The GOP has been silent.
Clearly Abbott thought it was needed.
We just don’t know the real reason why.
Someone was a fool for exposing what they had.
It's called ‘Command & Control’
FDA & the the Rulers testing the waters for another ‘emergency'and it was working pretty well until Uvalde gave them a real one.
Happy Days in Washington
Perhaps reading the story might be a good idea. You’ll learn that at least one was caused by contaminated water and none originated at the factory.
So what have babies been eating/drinking for the past month or so when the shelves were literally bare?
“Clearly Abbott thought it was needed.”
The FDA shut the plant down based on three babies dying and a whistleblower report of bad sanitary conditions at the plant.
CDC, FDA, and Abbot conducted an investigation which definitively showed the babies did not die from formula contamination.
Read this tweet thread;
https://twitter.com/AbbottNews/status/1525191088159477760?s=20&t=2_xOs9y3RYskFwLOjMC7yA
My grandma ran a boarding house during WW2.
She had some soldiers who ran the kitchens at then Camp Campbell (later Fort Campbell)
At dinner she apologized for not setting a full dinner because she ran out of ration stamps so there was no coffee, no cake and little chicken in the dumplings.
The soldiers left and the next day returned with bags of everything she needed and more. She was horrified as much as she was surprised as she thought the soldiers stole the much scarce items they needed for the war effort.
They explained not to worry. They had orders to dispose of anything not used as they had a quota to keep up, wether it was used or toss d aside.
Needless to say they are well for the duration of the war.
Had an article here on FR earlier talking about some areas in Maine being overrun by invaders (Africans) from the southern border. In the story, it was talking about their babies being supplied with baby formula.
WHERE are they getting those, if we citizens can’t get any?
Government agency (FDA) incompetence and political decisions gone bad.
I recall similar stories from my GrandMother & Mother concerning the Key West Naval Base (I'm a "Conch"). Ships throwing frozen meat over the side in order to restock and..., civilians swimming out to retrieve the food only to be charged with stealing government property. Wherever there i s a government facility the watchword is..., demonstrate your need when the new fiscal year arrives! Saw this numerous times during my career and when rejecting the "guidance" had my budget allocated elsewhere! Really no different then "Corporate Culture" where the same goes on....
Fort Campbell is still doing it today. There’s a huge dump onsite and everything from hurricane fencing, truck and helicopter parts and ammunition rounds to mres with holes punched in them so dumpster divers don’t retrieve them. And if you’re caught it’s a federal offense and big time served. It’s obscene.
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