Written testimony from the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration laid the blame for the delayed actions following contamination reports at a baby formula plant in Michigan on a Covid-19 outbreak at the factory as well as a “failure in FDA’s mail room”.
FDA Commissioner Robert Califf’s prepared testimony ahead of a Congressional hearing on Wednesday says that these problems meant that the agency didn’t begin its inspection of the facility until 31 January – over three months after becoming aware of the first infant Cronobacter infection who allegedly was fed powdered infant formula made at the Sturgis facility run by Abbott Nutrition.
