Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Elise Stefanik today sent a letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) pushing for transparency and accountability for food safety after the FDA’s recent recall of powdered formulas due to reports of illness in infants.
The recall occurred months after the FDA received the first report of foodborne illness.
“Allowing months to pass while infants are hospitalized places the health and welfare of our nation’s most vulnerable population at severe risk. This is unacceptable. As a result of this sweeping recall, children have been put to bed hungry while parents attempt to identify alternative formulas that are often difficult to procure. This impossible situation for parents may have been largely averted had the FDA acted swiftly upon initial reports of illness,” Stefanik wrote.
In the letter, the Congresswoman requested responses to questions on the timeline leading up to the February 17th recall of infant formula products from Abbott Nutrition’s Sturgis, Michigan facility and the status of unimplemented FDA food safety recommendations from the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General.
