Hopes US baby formula shortage could ease as key Abbott plant restarts

Factory in Sturgis, Michigan shut down in May after storms that produced torrential flooding

A key baby formula plant shut down by torrential rains last month has resumed operations, again spurring hope that the nationwide baby formula shortage could ease up.

Abbott Laboratories, the United States' largest baby formula manufacturer, closed down production at its main plant in Sturgis, Michigan, on 16 June after storms that produced catastrophic flooding. That came only two weeks after it had resumed work following a shutdown in February prompted by a Food and Drug Administration investigation that found contamination at the facility.