Despite the resumption of baby formula production by Abbott Nutrition and formula being imported from around the globe, nearly 22 percent of these products were out of stock in the United States last week.
NewsNation's "Rush Hour" talked with a top Food and Drug Administration (FDA) official on Friday, July 22, who said she expects things to improve by early to mid-August. FDA Food Safety Director Susan Mayne noted that the situation is improving, and more formula is showing up on shelves.
That is little consolation for families, who are still struggling to find what they need after closures due to a contamination problem and flooding at Abbott's Sturgis, Michigan, forced separate shutdowns in the facility earlier this year.
Feed the Babies Project doing its part to ease shortage woes
To address the baby formula shortage, a nonprofit organization distributed donated breast milk to mothers in need in St. Louis on Thursday, July 21. Dr. Jesse Davis of the Feed the Babies Project stated that in response to the infant formula shortage, they created this project to disseminate donor milk that is pasteurized through the Milk Bank.
He added that they organized their community partners to mass purchase that donor breast milk and distribute it to the people most in need. Data from Information Resources Inc. (IRI), a market research firm, showed that the amount of formula out of stock increased in June. The out-of-stock rate was 23.7 percent in May, compared to nearly 30 percent in June.
The FDA points to 17 planeloads of international formula delivered to American hospitals and retailers since May, which are equivalent to nearly 61 million 8-ounce bottles of formula.
The federal agency said the formula has been cleared of bacteria concerns and inspected for proper nutrient levels. Mayne noted that American consumers could have confidence that the FDA has looked at these formulas that are coming in new to the United States both for food safety and nutrition.
President Biden signs Formula Act to help American families
But top agency officials have also given changing timelines on when things will be back to normal in the United States. FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said during his testimony before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in May that he expected things to be back to normal within two months. Sadly, that is a timeline that has nearly come and gone now.
When asked about a new timeline, Mayne said that by early to mid-August, they should continue to see significant improvement in on-shelf availability. President Biden recently signed the Formula Act, a bipartisan bill that temporarily suspends tariffs on imported formula, potentially making the cost of formula 27 percent cheaper for American families.
