Severe Baby Formula Shortages Continue To Worsen, Here’s Why
Baby formula shortages have been plaguing US parents for months, unfortunately things are continuing to get worse.
Severe baby formula shortages have been plaguing parents in the US for months. The circumstances fueling these shortages are multi-factored. Pandemic-induced supply chain disruptions laid the groundwork for the overall less available supply. Then came the temporary factory closure of Abbot Nutrition, a leading domestic producer of formula, due to concerns over salmonella contamination. Widespread recalls of popular brands came alongside the closure, further hampering supply. By May the problem had become so dire that the Food and Drug Administration stepped in to help. Unfortunately, thus far, their efforts have seemingly been in vain. Baby formula shortages have reached staggering new lows, with some states seeing a frightening 90%+ reduction in supply.
To illustrate just how severe the baby formula shortages have gotten, NPR detailed that in just one month the severity of the shortages has increased from a national average of 40% to a staggering 73.6%. That means that at any given time, on average, a store will be stocked with only about a quarter of the supply that it should be. That is a very scary thing for parents to face. That is especially true considering that, according to the CDC, most infants in the United States will be fed with formula at some point before they reach one year of age. Even though the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends babies be fed breastmilk exclusively for the first 6 months, many babies are fed at least some formula well before that. Needless to say, in a country where the majority of infants are fed formula, severe shortages cause a crucial problem.
Moreover, while parents nationwide are feeling the devastating effects severe baby formula shortages have caused, some states and demographics are being disproportionately affected. For instance, Arizona, California, Georgia, and Mississippi are all reported out of stock rates equal to 95%. Lower-income and minority communities are also feeling the consequences of the baby formula shortages far stronger than those in other communities. This is because these communities oftentimes have a greater dependence on formula.
Still, even though baby formula is statistically more greatly utilized by certain groups, that in no way should downplay the fact that baby formula is widely used no matter the household’s race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or state they live in. Thus reiterating the fact that all infants are at risk of suffering at the hands of sustaining baby formula shortages. In fact, in many cases, baby formula is relied on because mothers have no other recourse but to transition to it. Tess Frear, who works with struggling mothers in Tennessee, in speaking to NPR pointed to the fact that in the United States there is a stigma surrounding breastfeeding in public or at work. That coupled with the fact that many employers have abysmal maternity benefits, leaves many moms with no choice but to rely on formula to feed their infants.
Unfortunately, it will likely still be a while before the baby formula shortages subside. Abbot is finally scheduled to reopen its facility and restart production in the coming days, however, it will like take over a month to get production pulsating at the pace it was before the temporary shutdown. Meanwhile, the FDA is working on securing product from overseas to help combat the deeply affecting shortages.
