Abbott baby formula plant shuts down again due to flooding

STURGIS, Mich. (WOOD) — Just days after reopening baby formula production, the Abbott facility in Sturgis, Michigan, is once again stopping production.

In a statement posted to its website, Abbott cites the severe thunderstorms and heavy rains that came through southwest Michigan Monday as the reason for the closure.

"These torrential storms produced significant rainfall in a short period of time — overwhelming the city's stormwater system in Sturgis, Mich., and resulting in flooding in parts of the city, including areas of our plant," the company said in a statement.

"As a result, 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. We have informed 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."

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Abbott does say it believes it still has "ample existing supply" of EleCare and most of its specialty formulas to meet current demand.

The company adds it will also work to restart Similac production at the plant as soon as possible.

The announcement came after the months-long closure of the same plant prompted a severe shortage in formula products across the United States. Production of EleCare and other specialty and metabolic formulas restarted at the plant on June 4.

According to WOOD, there were no flood warnings for Sturgis during Monday's storms.

The area has received 2 inches of total rain in the past 7 days, which is 1 inch more than the average rainfall this time of year.