Abbott Nutrition

2022: Bacterial infection detected in Abbott blends

On January 20, 2023, it became known that the US Department of Justice had opened a criminal investigation against Abbott Laboratories Corporation. The case is related to the scandal concerning the production of infant formula.

It is reported that back in February 2022, Abbott closed its Michigan facility due to a detected infection. Then it was reported that several babies who consumed mixtures made at the Abbott plant received a serious infectious disease. Two children have died.

The case file says that dry infant formula produced at Abbott Nutrition in Sturgis, Michigan, turned out to be poor quality. They were produced in unsanitary conditions and in violation of the requirements of "production practice." It turned out that the mixtures contain the bacterium Cronobacter Sakazakii, which can cause severe diseases in infants, such as necrotizing enterocolitis, meningitis and sepsis.

Abbott Laboratories plant closed

A law enforcement official familiar with the situation confirmed to NBC News that the focus of the Justice Department investigation is Abbott's infant formula plant in Sturgis. At the same time, it is not specified which aspects of the company's activities will be studied.

The US Department of Justice has informed us of its investigation, and we are fully cooperating, "said an Abbott spokesman.

Abbott's plant was closed in February 2022 after a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review found five different strains of potentially deadly bacteria. At the same time, Abbott recalled some of the mixtures produced at this enterprise, which exacerbated the shortage of baby food that began during the COVID-19 pandemic.^[1]

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