Abbott Laboratories said it’s cooperating with the US Justice Department in a probe involving the contamination of baby formula at one of the company’s plants last year.
(Bloomberg) — Abbott Laboratories said it’s cooperating with the US Justice Department in a probe involving the contamination of baby formula at one of the company’s plants last year.
“DOJ has informed us of its investigation and we’re cooperating fully,” Abbott spokesman Scott Stoffel said in an email. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier Friday that the investigation involved possible criminal charges.
The Justice Department declined to comment on the probe.
The company recalled formula and temporarily shut down its plant in Sturgis, Michigan, last year after a number babies got sick and federal inspectors found evidence of bacteria at the site. Abbott makes Similac, the country’s top-seller. The closure contributed to a national shortage of baby formula.
Read more: How a Deadly Pathogen Spread at Abbott’s Infant Formula Plant
Abbott is scheduled to report earnings on Jan. 25.
(Updates with DOJ declining to comment)
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