Abbott Nutrition again pauses baby formula production in Sturgis

Less than two weeks after resuming production amid a recall tied to a national baby formula shortage, manufacturer Abbott Nutrition announced Wednesday it is again pausing operation for some products at its Sturgis facility.

In a statement, Abbott said severe weather and rainfall that reached the state's southwest side this week overwhelmed the city's stormwater system and resulted in flooding in areas of the plant.

"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," Abbott said.

"We have informed (the Food and Drug Administration) 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."

Abbott closed the Sturgis factory in February after the FDA said it began investigating four bacterial infections among infants who consumed powdered formula from the plant. Two of the babies died.

The company continues to state that its products have not been directly linked to the infections, which involved different bacterial strains.