STURGIS, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the Abbot Laboratories infant formula plant in Sturgis.
The plant, based in St. Joseph County, was shut down for months last year due to contamination.
An Abbott spokesperson confirmed on Saturday, January 21 in an email that the Department of Justice did inform the plant about it’s investigation and that the company is “cooperating fully.”
The factory was closed in February 2022 after the Food and Drug Administration began investigating four bacterial infections among infants who consumed powdered formula from the plant.
With Abbot being one of just four companies producing 90% of U.S. formula, the closure was a key of a nationwide baby formula shortage that forced parents to seek it from food banks, friends and doctor’s offices. The February recall of several leading brands, including Similac, squeezed supplies already strained by supply chain disruptions and stockpiling during COVID-19 shutdowns.
Production resumed at the Sturgis plant in June 2022.
