PA Baby Formula Maker Gets Another $8.25M From State
HARRISBURG, PA — The state of Pennsylvania on Thursday announced its plans to invest another $8.25 million in a baby formula plant near Reading that hopes to ease an ongoing nationwide shortage.
The investment in ByHeart, the first new federally-approved U.S. formula maker in 15 years, is in addition to the $1.75 million in state funding that helped ByHeart complete the $21.6 million facility in Exeter Township.
According to a statement from Gov. Tom Wolf's office, the investment will support additional production and hiring "that will ultimately feed up to 500,000 more babies" in the next two years.
"I promised to do everything I can to support Pennsylvania families," Wolf said in a statement. "What ByHeart is doing is amazing and innovative, I'm proud to invest in them and that they chose Pennsylvania as home."
The nationwide shortage started in February when Abbott Nutrition shut down the largest formula factory in the country after the Food and Drug Administration began investigating four bacterial infections among infants who consumed powdered formula from the plant. Two of the babies died.
More at: https://patch.com/pennsylvania/across-pa/pa-baby-formula-maker-gets-another-8-25m-state