FDA Suddenly Cares About Babies, Strikes Deal With Formula Maker

FDA Suddenly Cares About Babies, Strikes Deal With Formula Maker

FDA Suddenly Cares About Babies, Strikes Deal With Formula Maker

Monday the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) demonstrated how much they care, reaching a deal with baby formula maker, Abbott Nutrition, to re-open one of their production plants to ease the baby formula shortage.

“Abbott Nutrition, the maker of Similac and other popular baby formulas, said Monday it has come to an agreement with the Food and Drug Administration to fix safety issues at a Sturgis, Mich., factory that has been shuttered for more than three months, contributing to a nationwide formula shortage.”

For the freaked-out families trying to feed their babies, while the news seems good, it really isn’t. Abbott indicates it could be two months before formula, which includes labels like Similac, Alimentum and EleCare, is on shelves.

Despite all the media spinning and understandable fear, here’s the facts.

First, Abbott Nutrition, voluntarily closed their Sturgis, Michigan plant a few months ago, after hearing reports infants died from bacteria that possibly came from their formulas. The FDA has posted those press releases:

“02.28.2022 EXPANDED: Abbott is voluntarily recalling one lot of Similac PM … The action comes after learning of the death of an infant who tested positive for Cronobacter sakazakii and who we were informed had consumed Similac PM 60/40 from this lot…and at this time the cause of the infant’s Cronobacter sakazakii infection has not been determined. We want to extend our heartfelt sympathies to the family…no distributed product has tested positive for the presence of Cronobacter sakazakii. …recently tested retained product samples of Similac PM 60/…were negative for Cronobacter. 02.17.2022 Abbott initiated a … voluntary recall of powder formulas…manufactured in Sturgis, Michigan, one of the company’s manufacturing facilities. … we conduct routine testing for Cronobacter sakazakii and other pathogens in our manufacturing facilities. During testing in our Sturgis, Michigan, facility, we found evidence of Cronobacter sakazakii in the plant in non-product contact areas… This investigation is ongoing. Importantly, no distributed product has tested positive for the presence of either of these bacteria, and we continue to test.”

The link is worth the read. Abbott Nutrition voluntarily closed the plant due to an abundance of caution. The FDA didn’t come in and shutter their doors.

Second fact, the Biden administration was warned of the looming shortage, and did nothing. Others in Biden’s own party could see the shortage coming. Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) had a clue in February and raised a flag to the FDA.

“Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) said that he pressed the head of the Food and Drug Administration ‘months ago’ on the baby formula issue and stated that right now the White House is ‘taking appropriate steps’ to fix the issue and is ‘taking it seriously and I think they’re moving forward in the right direction.’”

In one of her final press conference briefings, Jen Psaki, piped up saying the administration is doing all it can during the “Abbott voluntary recall”. Keep that detail in the back of your mind—for formula maker, Abbott Nutrition, the recall is voluntary. As stated by the FDA’s website and Jen Psaki at the 0:11 mark.

If you kept watching, you heard the urgent partnership with retailers to come to the aid of concerned families—at the :14 mark, “this is work that has been underway for months.” Apparently, Biden visited with retailers such as Walmart and Target to help the shortage.

Let me state the obvious—retailers can’t provide products they don’t have.

One more Brandon administration blunder surrounding the formula shortage. Psaki’s replacement, Karine Jean-Pierre, needs to grow an empathy chip. As American families worry about their baby’s health during an unprecedented baby formula shortage—Karine Jean-Pierre offered laughter.

No information from the Biden administration—on Monday. You know…the day the FDA negotiated for Abbott to re-open the plant in Michigan. She’s got nothing.

At least Jen Psaki made it sound like President Brandon was doing something.

Back to the negotiated deal with the FDA and formula maker, Abbott Nutrition. In all the “good news” surrounding Monday’s deal with the FDA, since when does a company’s voluntary recall require FDA approval to reopen a plant? Nonetheless, the FDA, in their bigness and generosity,

This is the same FDA that knew of the looming shortage three months ago, was warned, and did nothing for months. Let’s also not forget, the same FDA stopped imports of foreign made formula for safety concerns as well. Those were lifted Monday as well.

“The FDA said on its website that it is offering a ‘streamlined import entry review process’ for products from foreign facilities that have ‘favorable inspection records.’..it would expedite the necessary certificates of products that are already allowed into the U.S., to enable them to have ‘flexibility’ in the movement of those formula products.”

Third set of facts; during the panic-stricken shortage, the FDA gave insane advice to families who need answers and guidance. Don’t make your own formula and feed it to your baby. Don’t give your babies goat’s milk. Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. A very serious question to pose to the FDA; what should families do? Let their baby die? Knowing the administration’s hard-core support of abortion, let’s keep that question rhetorical. For now.

This is the same administration that did their darndest to force all Americans, including babies, to get vaccinated for COVID. A vaccination that has arguably done more harm than good. For sure, it has either injured or tragically killed more people than the tragic lives lost to possibly-tainted baby formula.

Does the administration really care about babies? This writer believes this administration really cares about the whuppin’ it will receive at the polls during the midterms. They really care about keeping in the good graces of a huge block of voters—families with small children. If families can’t feed their babies under the Biden administration, voters of political persuasions will find an administration that can.

This is why America has trust issues.

Feature Photo: Enfamil Gentlease Infant Formula by Parenting Patch, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped.

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3 Comments
  • Bucky says:

    The FDA says it will “streamline” and “expedite” the import procedures for foreign made infant formula but they do not give an actual time frame for such imports to start. There is also the issue of how the products will be distributed to retailers. The statement is long on promises but short on details.

  • Cameron says:

    In an ideal world, the head of the FDA would have been in front of a Congressional hearing 24 hours after Abbott shut the plant down and arrested for contempt if he refused to answer when things would open again.

  • […] Shelby Gallagher: FDA Suddenly Cares About Babies, Strikes Deal With Formula Maker […]

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