CHARLOTTE — A Charlotte family is one of many celebrating a settlement with a major baby formula maker.
The Carolinas will get some of the money from the deal with Abbott Laboratories. That’s the company regulators say knowingly sold formula with high contamination risks, and failed to disclose positive bacterial test results with the FDA.
The recall and formula shortage is a topic Channel 9’s Gina Esposito covered extensively in 2022.
MORE COVERAGE:
- NC gets $216K from Abbott baby formula settlement
- Charlotte woman files lawsuit against Abbott alleging formula contributed to baby’s death
- Baby formula shortage: Abbott’s Michigan plant halts production amid floods
At the time, a Fort Mill mother told us she was going to great lengths to get her twin boys fed after Abbott’s recall over a germ caused some major retailers to limit the amount of infant formula families could buy.
For Becca Smoot of east Charlotte, her nine-year-old daughter’s specialty formula was recalled. Due to Ella’s sensitive GI system, it was a tough transition to a new formula.
On Tuesday Smoot told Channel 9 the recall is still top of mind when making decisions about her daughter’s care.
“I keep her on two different formulas each day, so that if and when something like that ever happens, we still have a fallback,” Smoot said.
Abbott Laboratories agreed, without admitting fault, to a $384 million multi-state settlement.
North Carolina will get about $216,000 of that. It’ll go to support state Medicaid and nutritional programs.
South Carolina will receive $380,000. $97,000 will support the state Medicaid program.
The rest will be retained by the federal government.
©2026 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LH3JSJEF3VBLRJLJQESEAG34AM.png)
