Abbott Laboratories and federal regulators were warned of potential issues at its Michigan baby formula plant roughly a year before contamination forced a shutdown and triggered a national infant formula shortage, according to a new report.
A former Abbott employee in February 2021 filed an OSHA whistleblower complaint with the Labor Department alleging a host of issues at the Sturgis plant, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
The same month, the Labor Department shared the complaint with Abbott and the Food and Drug Administration, alleging the plant had failing equipment in need of repair and released formula without adequate evidence that it was safe for consumption.
Abbott on Saturday reopened the Sturgis plant, which had been closed since February 2022 after the FDA began investigating four bacterial infections among infants who consumed powdered formula from the plant. Two of the babies died.
The company continues to insist that its products have not been directly linked to the infections, which involved different bacterial strains.
Abbott CEO Robert B. Ford is seen above. The company says it was unable to confirm the allegations in the February 2021 OSHA complaint
FDA inspectors eventually uncovered a host of violations at the plant, including bacterial contamination, a leaky roof and lax safety protocols.
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