By Leroy Leo
(Reuters) – Abbott Laboratories’ India unit has completed a recall of baby formula products that were manufactured at the company’s troubled Michigan facility in the United States, a spokesperson for the company said on Friday.
“The voluntary recall in India impacted Alimentum and EleCare (brands). No other Abbott nutrition products, or Similac products, distributed in India were affected by the recall,” the spokesperson told Reuters.
Abbott said earlier this week it had reached an agreement with the U.S. health regulator to resume production at the Michigan plant, which has been shut down over reports of bacterial infections in infants who had consumed products made at the facility.
The company recalled dozens of types of Similac, Alimentum and EleCare powdered formulas in the U.S. and internationally following the infections. Similac supplied in India is produced at Abbott’s plant in the country’s western state of Gujarat.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has been informed about the recall, according to the spokesperson.
The recall in February by Abbott in the United States created one of the most urgent food shortages in recent history for U.S. families, with other baby formula makers stepping up shipments to the country.
(Reporting by Leroy Leo in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta)
