In a background memo made public ahead of the hearing, Rep. Frank Pallone of New Jersey, who is the chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, laid out a timeline of the baby formula shortage in the United States. 

The crisis began with issues in supply chains and worsened after product recalls and the temporary shutdown of a manufacturing plant that was responsible for producing almost half of the baby formula in the country.

According to CNN, the memo states that about 75% of caregivers use baby formula products to provide necessary nutrients to their infants.

In September last year, the US Food and Drug Administration came to know about a child who had been diagnosed with an infection caused by a severe form of bacteria known as Cronobacter.

In the time period between September 20 and February 17, 2022, the federal agency was notified about such infections in four infants, which later caused two deaths. 

The same day, the FDA was given a report of a routine inspection of Abbott’s Michigan plant which revealed the company’s failure to maintain the plant in a “clean and sanitary condition.”

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On October 20, the agency received a report from an unknown former Abbott employee. The report contained accusations against the company, including the faking of records, hiding data, and releasing infant formula that hadn’t undergone necessary testing.

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The FDA only interviewed the whistleblower in late November and scheduled a “for cause” inspection of the plant towards the end of January next year.

On February 17, 2022, Abbott Nutrition recalled some batches of baby formula.

Between January 31 and March 18, FDA inspectors visited Abbott’s plant and discovered the company’s failure to set processes that aim to prevent contamination of products. The Cronobacter bacteria was found in five environmental samples at the plant.

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During the inspection period, Abbott closed its plant to resolve issues identified by the FDA. 

With an investigation of the Cronobacter illnesses and the news of contamination, the crisis accelerated, with other factors like chain disruptions of raw materials coming into play. Other factors included high prices due to international conflicts, shortage of labour, challenges in transportation and panic-buying, according to the memo.