Abbott Nutrition temporarily shuts Sturgis plant due to severe weather, says it could delay baby-formula production for a few weeks

• Abbott Nutrition said it is pausing work at its Sturgis, Michigan plant due to weather damage.
• This will "likely delay production and distribution of new product for a few weeks," it said.

Abbott Nutrition said it was temporarily closing its Sturgis, Michigan, plant to deal with damages caused by severe weather, a move that could delay the production and distribution of some baby formula for weeks.

The infant-formula manufacturer said in a Wednesday statement that the plant was affected by flooding caused by recent thunderstorms and heavy rains in the area, and that meant the plant had to pause its work.

"Abbott has stopped production of its EleCare specialty formula that was underway to assess damage caused by the storm and clean and re-sanitize the plant," the company said. EleCare is a type of formula for children with certain conditions and allergies.

It said it had informed the FDA and "will conduct comprehensive testing in conjunction with the independent third party to ensure the plant is safe to resume production."

"This will likely delay production and distribution of new product for a few weeks," it said.

The US has experienced a baby-formula shortage this year, which was exacerbated by Abbott recalling its products and closing its Sturgis plant after strains of bacteria that are potentially deadly to infants were discovered there.

It restarted production at the Sturgis plant on June 4 after reaching a deal with the Food and Drug Administration to reopen it last month.

Abbott said then that it would prioritize the production of EleCare formulas.

FDA commissioner Robert Califf tweeted that the pause was an "unfortunate setback," but that the US government's efforts to increase baby-formula supply in response to recent shortages meant that "we'll have more than enough product to meet current demand."