Lawmakers Blame FDA, ‘Corporate Greed’ For Baby Formula Shortage

CNBC: 'A Dereliction Of Duty:' U.S. Lawmakers Grill FDA Commissioner Over Baby Formula Shortage 
U.S. lawmakers on Thursday grilled Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf about a nationwide baby formula shortage that’s left parents across America scrambling to feed their children, calling the agency’s response a “dereliction of duty.” “The shortage was caused in large part by the lack of action by the FDA and by corporate greed and consolidation,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., during a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing.  (Constantino, 5/19)

Politico: FDA Refuses To Tell Congress Why Infant Formula Response Took Months 
FDA Commissioner Robert Califf refused to answer questions from lawmakers Thursday about why it took the agency months to respond to reports of infant illnesses and a whistleblower complaint regarding the infant formula plant at the heart of the current formula shortage. “We have an ongoing investigation about the details of exactly what happened, from point A to point B along the way, and since it is ongoing, I can’t give extensively more details on that part of it,” Califf said during a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing. (Evich and Lee, 5/19)

NBC News: Chart: Baby Formula Supply Has Been Dwindling For Months
The nationwide baby formula shortage that has sent parents scrambling for supplies has been building in earnest for more than two months, new data shows. Retailers that sell baby formula have been losing out on sales due to supply constraints since the first week of March, according to NielsenIQ’s on-shelf availability barometer, a metric that shows how a product’s revenue compared to retailer expectations. (Chiwaya and Wu, 5/19)

And the Senate approves a formula funding bill —

AP: Senate OKs Overhaul Of Baby Formula Rules In Aid Program 
The Senate approved a bill Thursday aimed at easing the baby formula shortage for families participating in a government assistance program that accounts for about half of all formula purchased in the United States. The House passed the bill the day before, so it now goes to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. Participants in a program known as WIC get vouchers that are redeemed for specific foods to supplement their diets. The vouchers usually can only be used to purchase one brand of infant formula, which encourages the manufacturer to offer big discounts to secure a state’s business. (Freking, 5/19)

The first flights for 'Operation Fly Formula' will happen soon —

Axios: 'Operation Fly Formula' To Import First Batch Of Baby Formula Amid Shortage
The Department of Defense will be using its contracts with commercial air cargo to transport Nestlé S.A. formula from Switzerland to Indiana and to help speed up the import of infant formula amid a nationwide shortage, the White House said Thursday. The effort, dubbed Operation Fly Formula, is the latest in a series of steps taken by the Biden administration to address a shortage that is causing panic among millions of parents and caregivers in the U.S. (Martinez, 5/19)

More news on the formula shortage —

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Some Children Hospitalized In Georgia Due To Baby Formula Shortage
A few Georgia children with complex medical issues were recently hospitalized at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta because their families could not find the specific baby formula needed during a crippling nationwide shortage. A spokesperson for Children’s said Thursday all the children hospitalized had specific dietary needs and any changes to their formula needed to be carefully monitored to make they could be well tolerated. It can be a long, complicated process to find a substitution that meets the children’s nutritional needs, and then make sure the new formula won’t trigger any negative and potentially dangerous reactions, such as dehydration or diarrhea. The hospital declined to provide a specific number of children hospitalized, but said some were hospitalized back in February when a formula plant was closed, and others were hospitalized more recently as the formula shortage has worsened. (Oliviero, 5/19)

Dallas Morning News: Experts Say Older Babies Can Have Cow’s Milk ‘In A Pinch’ During Formula Crisis
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) updated their recommendations this week on cow’s milk for babies ages 6 months and older due to the ongoing nationwide baby formula shortage. “If your child is older than 6 months of age and is usually on regular formula (not a specialty product for allergies or other special health needs), this may be an option,” the recommendations state. “In a pinch, you could feed them whole cow’s milk for a brief period of time until the shortage is better. This is not ideal and should not become routine.” The AAP states that this is a better option than diluting formula or making homemade formula in an emergency, adding that parents should follow the limits of no more than 24 ounces of cow’s milk a day for children over a year of age. (Booke, 5/19)

The Atlantic: Rich Parents Are Tapping Into A Baby-Formula Black Market
Access to what is the primary form of nutrition for many babies has long been unequal. The parents of about 1.5 million infants have to wade through the aggravating bureaucracy of the welfare state simply to get a necessity. In contrast, a sizable number of parents evade the law to import European formula in order to access ingredients and nutrition standards that differ from what the FDA allows. American formula already is quite expensive, but smuggling in the European stuff is on another price tier altogether, running about four times more than the cheapest U.S. formula, and that’s before factoring in shipping costs. But now, as more wealthy parents opt for European-made formula in light of the crisis at home, the inequality is compounding. While some parents struggle to get formula at all, others are bypassing the American market to get what they view as superior formula delivered straight to their doorstep. (Szalinski, 5/19)

The 19th: Baby Formula Shortage Leaves Families In Rural Communities With Few Places To Turn
On Monday afternoon, a friend who works at the local Walmart sent Breanna Dietrich the message she had been waiting three months to receive: The store was about to restock the exact baby formula she needed. Come quick, the friend told Dietrich. She wasn’t allowed to hold it for her. The stay-at-home mother of five threw together a diaper bag and grabbed her 10-month-old daughter. Her other four kids, who were walking home from school when she got the text, jumped in the van with her for the 15-minute drive to the store — one of only two where parents can get formula in Wheeling, a West Virginia town near the Ohio border. She was about a week and a half out from running out of formula entirely. (Carrazana, 5/19)

CBS News: Restaurant Owner Taps Baby Formula Stash — Gives It Away For Free 
A Texas restaurant owner and father of three has come to the rescue of hundreds of parents struggling to find infant formula amid a national shortage of the product. Determined to make a difference, Benji Arslanovski, owner of "Our Place" in Mansfield, Texas, recently reached out to US Foods, his restaurant's supplier, which also provides formula to hospitals and health care providers.  ... Last week Arslanovski located 56 cases of Gerber baby formula in stock at US Foods. After checking with the company to ensure other retailers and health care centers weren't asking for the supply, he bought it all and started giving it away to parents in need. (Cerullo, 5/19)

KHN: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Waking Up To Baby Formula Shortage 
The federal government finally addressed the infant formula shortage, as a growing number of families found themselves without anything to feed their babies. But it will likely take weeks for any effects of the federal action to be felt, while infants must be fed daily. (5/19)