The White House revealed on Thursday, May 12, a series of measures designed to address a baby formula shortage across the United States following President Joe Biden's meeting with key manufacturers and retailers.
The steps announced by the White House to address the supply shortage include a plan to crack down on price gouging nationwide, an effort to reduce red tape and speed formula production, and make it easier to import formula from abroad.
A senior administration official told reporters on a call that they know families are concerned. President Biden held a "productive" virtual meeting on the shortage with the heads of Target, Walmart, Gerber, Reckitt, and others about increasing availability and supply.
Baby formula shortage, a crisis that has gone on for too long
The baby formula shortage that started in the early days of the COVID pandemic has worsened in the United States in recent weeks because of a major product recall and labor shortages, creating anxiety and panic among parents across the country. Some parents have called the baby formula shortage a crisis that has gone on for too long.
Press secretary Jen Psaki told NBC News that the White House has been working on the issue for months. Psaki added that they take every step they can but more needs to be done.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced in February that it was investigating certain powdered baby formulas made by Abbott Nutrition at their facility in Sturgis, Michigan.
The FDA said at the time that it was looking into bacterial infections in four infants who drank the baby formula produced at that plant. According to the FDA, all four babies had to be hospitalized, and the infection may have contributed to the deaths of two infants.
The federal agency, which oversees food safety in the United States, said the illnesses occurred from September 6, 2021, to January 4, 2022, in Minnesota, Texas, and Ohio. The FDA has urged caregivers and parents not to use recalled EleCare, Similac, and Alimentum powdered formulas manufactured at Abbott's Michigan plant.
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More than 40 percent of baby formula supplies out of stock in the U.S.
Recent data suggested there is no end in sight to the formula shortage in America. According to retail pricing data website Datasembly, 43 percent of baby formula supplies were out of stock across the United States in the week ending May 8. The company's CEO, Ben Reich, issued a grim warning, saying, "We don't see this slowing down any time soon."
A senior administration official said that despite the closure of the Abbott plant in Michigan, more baby formula had been produced across the nation in the past four weeks than during the four weeks preceding the recall. When asked by reporters when that would translate to consumers seeing more baby formula on shelves, the White House official said they could not give a date.
