President Joe Biden ramped up his administration's reaction to a statewide infant formula scarcity on Thursday, forcing frantic parents to turn to online communities to exchange and sell the formula to keep their children nourished.
The president spoke with executives from Gerber and Reckitt Benckiser about how businesses can improve production and how his government can help, as well as Walmart and Target executives on how to resupply shelves and address regional inequities in access to formula, according to the White House.
Biden Administration To Discuss Formula Shortage With Companies
Even though 98 percent of infant formula is manufactured in the United States, the government aims to monitor any price gouging and cooperate with trading partners in Mexico, Chile, Ireland, and the Netherlands on imports.
The issue is the result of supply chain disruptions and a safety recall, and it has had a cascade of effects: retailers are restricting what customers can buy, and doctors and health workers are advising parents to contact food banks or physicians' offices, as well as warning against diluting formula to stretch supplies or using online DIY recipes.
Following Abbott's recall of infant formula due to contamination concerns, the scarcity is wreaking havoc on lower-income families. Many brands covered by WIC, a government program similar to food stamps that assists women, babies, and children, were recalled; however, brand alternatives are now allowed. The Biden administration is working with states to make it simpler for WIC participants to purchase formula in different quantities that their benefits may not now cover, ABC News reported.
The steps, which include calling on the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general to crack down on price gouging and unfair market practices, were described by senior administration officials as reducing red tape to refill stores with infant formula. Another option is the Department of Agriculture's Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, which officials say accounts for nearly half of the country's formula purchases.
The Food and Drug Administration is working with industry partners to increase production and discourage hoarding, as well as expediting FDA review processes and seizing importation opportunities from countries like Chile, Ireland, Mexico, and the Netherlands, according to incoming White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
Following contamination concerns at its Sturgis, Michigan factory, Abbott Nutrition voluntarily recalled some powdered formulations in February. Cronobacter sakazakii has already sickened four newborns and killed two more. The Sturgis plant makes 20 specialty formulae for around 5,000 newborns, as well as some older children and adults with uncommon metabolic illnesses.
Republicans Bash President Joe Biden Over the Issue
A statewide baby formula shortage has resulted from a February recall of powdered infant formula from an Abbott Nutrition factory in Sturgis, Michigan, which was related to numerous newborn hospitalizations and fatalities, as well as ongoing supply chain delays.
The Biden administration has received substantial reaction and requests to take action while the Michigan plant remains closed and families continue to struggle to acquire adequate supplies, according to the Washington Examiner.
House Republicans chastised the Biden administration on Thursday for the country's rising newborn formula scarcity. Last month, over 40% of infant formula brands ran out at retailers throughout the country.
Republicans accuse the White House of failing to replace empty shop shelves quickly enough, as part of a bigger attack on the president over the supply chain and inflation issues.
The gap has been labeled as a catastrophe, according to Rep. Cathy McMorris Rogers, a Republican from Washington. During the news conference, Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina suggested that House Democrats should do more to pressure the administration into action, as per USA Today.
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