Baby formula shortage

2022 - 5 - 12

Post cover — Image courtesy of "The Atlantic"

What's Behind America's Shocking Baby-Formula Shortage? (The Atlantic)

First, the bacteria. After the recent deaths of at least two infants from a rare infection, the Food and Drug Administration investigated Abbott, a major ...

As a result, the U.S. baby formula industry is minuscule, by design. But the bigger problem is our trade policy. And under President Donald Trump, the U.S. entered into a new North American trade agreement that actively discourages formula imports from our largest trading partner, Canada. U.S. policy also restricts the importation of formula that does meet FDA requirements. Nevertheless, one study found that many European formulas meet the FDA nutritional guidelines—and, in some ways, might even be better than American formula, because the European Union bans certain sugars, such as corn syrup, and requires formulas to have a higher share of lactose. America’s formula policy warps the industry in one more way. Nationwide, 40 percent of formula is out of stock—a twentyfold increase since the first half of 2021. “During the spring of 2020, formula sales rocketed upwards as people stockpiled formula just like they stockpiled toilet paper,” Lyman Stone, the director of research at the consulting firm Demographic Intelligence, told me. As a result, the FDA recalled several brands of formula, and parents were advised to not buy or use some formula tied to the plant. After the recent deaths of at least two infants from a rare infection, the Food and Drug Administration investigated Abbott, a major producer of infant formula, and discovered traces of the pathogen Cronobacter sakazakii in a Michigan plant. That’s a twisted turn in the story of American scarcity. Thousands of drugs and products are recalled every year, and they don’t create a meltdown at pharmacies or require CVS to instate Soviet-style rationing of essentials.

What is causing the baby formula shortage across North America? (CP24 Toronto's Breaking News)

Many parents are hunting for infant formula because of a combination of short- and long-term problems that has hit most of the biggest U.S. brands.

Many do-it-yourself formula recipes are made from cow's milk and granular sugar that may be difficult for young babies to digest. Several national chains have limited the number of containers customers can purchase in stores and online. About 60% of mothers stop breastfeeding sooner than they had planned, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Food and Drug Administration sets specific nutritional requirements, including minimum amounts of protein, fat, calcium and a number of vitamins. Talk with your pediatrician or call a local food bank to see if they can help locate some options. Rates of breastfeeding have consistently been lower among Black babies than other groups. For CVS and Walgreens, the limit is three per customer. Health professionals recommend exclusively breastfeeding babies until they are 6 months old. Families that qualify for WIC - a federal program similar to food stamps that pays for about half the formula used in the U.S. - can also contact their local agency. Most formulas contain protein from cow's milk that's been altered to be easier to digest and enhanced with extra nutrients needed for growth and development. Mothers face a number of challenges to long-term breastfeeding, including returning to work and finding the time and equipment needed to pump breast milk. Inventory was further squeezed by parents stockpiling during COVID-19 lockdowns.

Parents swap, sell baby formula; Biden to talk to businesses (CTV News)

U.S. President Joe Biden stepped up his administration's response to a nationwide baby formula shortage Thursday that has forced frenzied parents into ...

The meltdown of 2022 has wiped out more than US$7 trillion in market value from the blue chip stocks in the S&P 500. Trudeau questioned whether the perceived Conservative leadership frontrunner grasps how integral the independence of the central bank is to the country's economic stability and international reputation. Trudeau questioned whether the perceived Conservative leadership frontrunner grasps how integral the independence of the central bank is to the country's economic stability and international reputation. Trudeau announced Tuesday morning that the confidence-and-supply agreement has been brokered, and is effective immediately. The stunning leak of a U.S. Supreme Court draft opinion to strike down the landmark Roe v. Once production began, it would take six to eight weeks for the baby formula to be available on shelves. The Food and Drug Administration warned consumers on Feb. 17 to avoid some powdered baby formula products from a Sturgis, Michigan, facility run by Abbott Nutrition, which then initiated a voluntary recall. Access to medical supplies, computer chips, household appliances, cars and other goods has been hurt by closed factories and outbreaks of the virus, as well as storms and other climate-related events. “They say it takes a village to raise a baby,” she said. Kimberly Anderson, 34, of Hartford County, Maryland, said her 7 1/2-month-old son takes a prescription formula that has been nearly impossible to find locally. She said there was already a stigma attached to being a non-breastfeeding mom and that the group has become supportive. “That's not the first time I've come across a store that doesn't take WIC,” she added.

US infant formula shortage: what you need to know (The Guardian)

Stores are running out of baby formula due to a combination of short- and long-term problems hitting the biggest brands.

Several national chains have limited the number of containers customers can purchase in stores and online. Many do-it-yourself formula recipes are made from cow’s milk and granular sugar that may be difficult for young babies to digest. About 60% of mothers stop breastfeeding sooner than they had planned, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sets specific nutritional requirements, including minimum amounts of protein, fat, calcium and a number of vitamins. Talk with your pediatrician or call a local food bank to see if they can help locate some options. Most formulas contain protein from cow’s milk that’s been altered to be easier to digest and enhanced with extra nutrients needed for growth and development.

Why the US has a baby formula shortage — and who is most at risk (Vox)

Baby formula has been running low all over the United States, threatening the health of infants and other people who depend on it for their sustenance.

America’s weak support for new parents and babies will only make it harder for people to cope with the baby formula shortage. Nobody is sure how long the shortage will last but, already, advocacy groups like the National WIC Association want a greater accounting of how this crisis came to pass. According to CDC survey data, people living in poverty are most likely to report that they’ve supplemented with formula in the first three months of their baby’s life. And experts strongly discourage people from trying to make their own formula at home, giving the severe risks — including death — if a nonprofessional doesn’t get the formula right. The shortage can be traced back to a contamination problem at an Abbott factory that produces much of the Similac formula, as well as several other brands, for the US market, Abbott voluntarily shut down the factory in February, amid consumer complaints about contaminated formula that was linked to two infant deaths. Experts say this is the worst formula shortage in decades.

U.S. to boost baby formula imports to ease nationwide shortage after ... (CNBC)

Abbott Nutrition, the nation's largest baby formula manufacturer, issued a recall in February for several powered formulas. The move came after four infants who ...

During the first week of May, 43% of baby formula supplies were out of stock at stores across the U.S., according to Datasembly, a company that tracks retail data. The FDA is advising consumers not to use recalled Similac, Alimentum or EleCare powdered infant formulas. Abbott closed the Sturgis plant and recalled its Similac PM 60/40, Similac, Alimentum and EleCare powered formulas manufactured at the Michigan facility. The move came after four infants who consumed products from its Sturgis, Michigan, plant were hospitalized with infections from the bacteria Cronobacter sakazakii. Chile, Ireland, Mexico and the Netherlands are potential sources for additional imports, according to the officials. The U.S. produces 98% of the infant formula its consumes.