Abbott faces US criminal probe over baby formula: WSJ

ABBOTT Laboratories’ Michigan plant, which was at the centre of the US baby formula shortage last year, is being investigated by the Justice Department, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday (Jan 20).

Attorneys with the Justice Department’s consumer-protection branch are conducting the criminal investigation, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter.

“DOJ has informed us of its investigation and we’re cooperating fully,” an Abbott spokesman told Reuters.

In February 2022, Abbott, the biggest US supplier of baby formula, recalled Similac and other infant formula products produced at the Michigan facility after reports of bacterial infections in babies who had consumed products made there.

The shutdown of the plant and subsequent product recalls exacerbated a baby formula shortage in the United States that began due to pandemic-induced supply chain issues. REUTERS