(NaturalHealth365)  While parents desperately search store shelves for safe infant formula, whistleblowers inside one of America’s largest manufacturing plants are revealing horrifying practices that should send chills down the spine of any parent feeding their baby formula.

Workers at Abbott Laboratories’ massive facility in Sturgis, Michigan – the same plant that triggered a nationwide baby formula crisis just three years ago – say dangerous and unsanitary conditions have returned, putting countless infants’ lives at risk while company officials look the other way.

The cardboard funnel that shocked workers: When profits are more important than safety

In what may be the most jaw-dropping revelation, employees report that a worker used a piece of cardboard pulled from a trash bin to funnel coconut oil into a tank during production of Abbott’s Pure Bliss by Similac Organic brand – a formula marketed for newborns.

“I can’t have this on my conscience,” one worker told ProPublica, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of repercussions.

While Abbott admits this incident happened “outside of our quality process,” they dismissed its significance, claiming the product underwent “enhanced testing” that came back negative for microbes.  Yet workers who complained at the time were stunned when, weeks later, they received an email congratulating them for releasing all batches “not just on time, but early.”

The cardboard incident wasn’t an isolated case of negligence.  Workers also report seeing:

• Leaks that go unfixed, creating perfect breeding grounds for bacteria
• White sweetener oozing from pipes and forming stalagmite-like piles on blending tanks
• Required microbial testing being skipped during maintenance
• Expired ingredients being used, including amino acid powder that was “chunky” and 10 months past its “best by” date

Deadly history repeats: The formula catastrophe we can’t afford to ignore

This disturbing pattern of negligence is particularly alarming given the Sturgis plant’s deadly track record.  In 2022, the facility temporarily shut down after FDA inspectors discovered:

• Leaking equipment valves and standing water
• Cronobacter sakazakii bacteria (which can be fatal to infants) in the plant
• Company documents showing Abbott had found dangerous bacteria in finished formula as early as 2019-2020

The shutdown triggered a nationwide formula shortage that left desperate parents resorting to dangerous practices like watering down formula.  Between December 2021 and June 2022, the FDA received 16 consumer complaints involving infant deaths and products from the Sturgis facility.

Former FDA chief Stephen Hahn called the plant “egregiously unsanitary” and said the inspection findings were “shocking.”

Workers risk everything to blow the whistle on “persistent leaks” and “unaddressed contamination”

Despite signing a 2022 consent decree promising to improve practices – with daily fines up to $30,000 for violations – current workers say the dangerous conditions persist.

One employee filed a complaint with the FDA in February, citing “persistent leaks” and “unaddressed contamination issues.”  Water and chemicals have reportedly pooled on floors, and in one area, white sweetener continues to ooze from a pipe onto a blending tank.

Photos taken inside the plant show equipment streaked with leaked formula ingredients, with absorbent mats placed on floors to catch drips – a clear violation of procedures that require proper containment, repair, and pathogen testing.

Former FDA inspector Patrick Stone, now a consultant, warned: “Unless you’re monitoring your environment, you don’t know what’s in your environment.  If you have leaks, forget about it.  You don’t know what’s in there.”

Profit pressure creates deadly pressure cooker for workers and babies

Workers say supervisors are pushing them to increase production while simultaneously demanding strict adherence to new safety protocols – creating an impossible situation.

“Imagine a 10-page rule book you’re told you have to operate by no matter what.  No deviations.  You’re doing that, and then your boss says, ‘You’re not doing your job fast enough,'” one employee explained.

At a February meeting, a senior manager reportedly told employees the plant needed to improve profit margins by either increasing production or reducing the amount of formula discarded as unusable.  Workers who have pushed back or complained about problems say they’ve faced retaliation.

This pressure is particularly concerning given that the Sturgis plant:

• Produced 20% of the nation’s formula before the 2022 shutdown
• Supplies more than half of babies in the WIC nutrition assistance program
• Has exclusive contracts to provide formula for WIC recipients in 36 states and Washington, D.C.

What parents can do to protect their babies

With regulatory oversight weakening and industry self-policing clearly failing, parents face limited but crucial options:

1. Stay informed about formula recalls and safety issues
2. Consider seeking formula alternatives when possible and appropriate
3. Contact representatives about the need for stronger FDA oversight
4. Join consumer advocacy groups pushing for tighter regulation
5. Monitor for signs of contamination in formula (unusual odor, appearance, or texture)

While Abbott maintains it “stands behind the quality and safety of all our products,” workers inside their facility are painting a very different picture – one that should terrify any parent relying on their formula for their child’s survival.

As one worker put it, the risks are too great to ignore: “I can’t have this on my conscience.”

Sources for this article include:

Childrenshealthdefense.org
Childrenshealthdefense.org