FDA Moves To Boost Baby Formula Supplies As Stores Run Dry
FDA commissioner Robert Califf said, "Ensuring the availability of safe, sole-source nutrition products like infant formula is of the utmost importance to the FDA." But the FDA has not said when Abbott Laboratories, the biggest U.S. formula supplier and source of a massive recall, will reopen its factory.
Axios:
FDA Says It Is "Doing Everything In Our Power" To Improve Baby Formula Supply
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Tuesday that it is "doing everything in our power" to improve the supply of baby formula. The nation's baby formula shortage has intensified in recent weeks due to supply chain issues and a recent recall of Abbott Nutrition products. “We recognize that many consumers have been unable to access infant formula and critical medical foods they are accustomed to using and are frustrated by their inability to do so," said FDA commissioner Robert Califf in a statement. (Scribner, 5/10)
NPR:
The Biden Administration Is Working To Ease The Ongoing Shortage Of Baby Formula
Stores across the U.S. are continuing to run low on baby formula, with the Biden administration saying it is working to ease the problem for American families and caregivers. During the first week of May, the average out-of-stock rate for baby formula at retailers across the country was 43%, according to data from the firm Datasembly, which collected information from more than 11,000 sellers. In late April, the rate was even higher in some states, with an out-of-stock rate over 50% in Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, Missouri, Texas and Tennessee. "This issue has been compounded by supply chain challenges, product recalls and historic inflation," Datasembly CEO Ben Reich said in a statement. (Hernandez, 5/10)
CNN:
Formula Maker: "This Is A Crisis. We Can't Flip A Switch And Make A Lot More Formula"
Laura Modi is fielding dozens of emails, calls, and texts daily from anxious parents asking about how they can get baby formula. Modi is CEO and cofounder of Bobbie, a San Francisco-based direct-to-consumer seller and subscription service for organic milk-based baby formula that is produced in a Vermont facility and backed by $72 million in venture capital funding. She's acutely aware of the desperation in those outreaches, which have intensified in recent weeks amid an ongoing nationwide shortage of infant formula. A message at the top of the company's website says, "We're temporarily at capacity for new customers." Other manufacturers say they're producing at full capacity and making as much formula as they can. But demand is heavily outstripping supply. (Kavilanz, 5/10)
AP:
Parents Hunting For Baby Formula As Shortage Spans US
On Tuesday, the FDA said it was working with U.S. manufacturers to increase their output and streamlining paperwork to allow more imports. For now, pediatricians and health workers are urging parents who can’t find formula to contact food banks or doctor’s offices. They warn against watering down formula to stretch supplies or using online DIY recipes. (Perrone and Hollingsworth, 5/10)
The New York Times:
A Baby Formula Shortage Leaves Desperate Parents Searching For Food
Maricella Marquez looked at the last can of baby formula in her kitchen on Tuesday and handed her 3-year-old daughter, who suffers from a rare allergic esophageal disorder, a smaller-than-usual portion of the special nutrition she needs to stay healthy. Ms. Marquez has been calling suppliers all over Texas, asking about any new shipments. “Right now they are out of it, completely,” she said. “I’m desperate.” (5/10)
Politico:
'I Don’t Know How My Son Will Survive': Inside The Dangerous Shortage Of Specialty Formulas
The Abbott Nutrition plant in Sturgis, Mich., was not just one of the biggest suppliers of infant formula nationally, but it was also the major supplier of several lesser-known specialty formulas that are a lifeline for thousands of people with rare medical conditions, including metabolic, allergic and gastrointestinal disorders, which can make eating regular foods impossible or even dangerous. The situation has not only rattled parents and medical professionals, but has raised questions about whether the federal government should do more to ensure critical, life-sustaining supply chains don’t break down. (Evich, 5/7)
