The Baby Formula Shortage Never Went Away, Here’s Why
The severe baby formula shortage, which erupted nearly a year ago, is still persisting and leaving parents with limited options to feed their infants due to continuing supply chain deficits.
The national baby formula shortage started almost a year ago, and families are still struggling with this ongoing deficit. The supply chain interruptions catalyzed by the pandemic affected every industry imaginable, ultimately trickling over to baby formula in February 2022. Extended closures of formula facilities in Sturgis, Michigan, exacerbated the shortage, and people are still dealing with the aftermath.
Shutdowns and quarantine, which put extensive hiatuses on businesses and manufacturers, have continuously affected production this year, with many factories unable to meet the heightened demand for specific products. Computer chips are one of those coveted items that haven’t rebounded since the shortage started in mid-2020. Other products, like baby formula, weren’t purchased excessively at the pandemic’s start, but a substantial recall by Abbott Nutrition and the factories’ suspension in Michigan have dealt families an unfortunate hand this year.
During this prolonged baby formula shortage, some doctors and experts spoke about breastfeeding generally, urging more parents to breastfeed for an infant’s first six months exclusively. Though this might help mitigate demand, it doesn’t alleviate the foundational problems that started the formula deficit. Recommending people breastfeed their children more often doesn’t consider those who have difficulty producing milk or have other medical issues.
According to PBS, breastfeeding was the predominant method for providing infants with nutrition in 19th-century Western countries. Between the 1880s and the 1940s, these methods changed drastically in the United States, with more parents opting for artificial formulas for their child’s health and nutrition. Breastfeeding reached an all-time low in the U.S. during the 1970s, but the practice has slowly picked up in popularity in the last couple of decades.
Still, current parents are less likely to have living relatives to guide them in breastfeeding protocol since the practice was heavily unpopular 50 years ago. Breastfeeding support and equipment are covered under the U.S. healthcare system, there aren’t many physicians or consultants who specialize in this type of guidance or support. The limited resources have left parents without necessary breastfeeding knowledge, which is another reason people rely so heavily on artificial formula.
Though the baby formula shortage may incentivize parents to prioritize breastfeeding, some advocates state that breastfeeding isn’t an entirely free practice. Many point to the time factor as an economic disadvantage, with parents having to take off work to pump milk for their children adequately. Others focus on the cost of supplies like special storage containers, nursing bras, and pumps.
Many mothers have documented how expensive the first month of breastfeeding can be and how difficult it is to maneuver one’s work schedule to accommodate the practice. Working parents are statistically less likely to breastfeed for the recommended six months of an infant’s life, with only 50% of U.S. mothers taking paid leave off for those initial months. Workplaces in America aren’t the most breastfeeding-friendly places either, with many parents experiencing barriers to appropriately breastfeeding during company time.
Without universal paid leave for parents or adequate stations in work environments for breastfeeding, people opt for accessible options like artificial formula. The ongoing baby formula shortage has made it increasingly difficult for newer parents to maneuver around these preexisting barriers.
