*July 2022 Update on Baby Formula Shortage:

While most of us believe that the urgency surrounding the issue of baby formula shortages in May 2022, has passed; that is just not the case.  Initially, we were told that the shortage had to do with a shut down of one of the major producers, Abbot Laboratory due to health and safety concerns.  The background to the shortage is as follows according to the independent news outlet,  Democracy Now.  The crisis started last October after a whistleblower sent the Food and Drug Administration a report detailing safety and sanitation violations at the Abbott Nutrition factory in Sturgis, Michigan, the largest baby formula manufacturing plant in the country. Actually, the whistleblower had notified authorities long before last October, but it would be months before the FDA took action. Abbott fired the whistleblower. Four babies who had consumed formula from the plant suffered bacterial infections. Two of them died. The FDA could not conclusively link the illnesses or deaths to that particular Sturgis plant. In February, Abbott shut down the plant and announced a voluntary recall of its Sturgis-manufactured baby formula. The FDA followed with a product warning….

In the Democracy Now interview, Ro Khanna, US representative from California and member of the House Armed Serves Committee wrote an open letter urging leaders of federal agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration to take bolder action to address the shortage. Khanna discusses efforts to increase production domestically and supplement the shortage with formula from other nations. He is calling for President Biden to go further and pass antitrust laws to reduce reliance on corporate monopolies for vital products. “Why is it that we are so dependent on one or two manufacturers in this country?” says Khanna. “This is a problem not just in baby formula.” And as the article points out, the shortage and difficulty accessing baby formula continues. (see caption under related photo)

In many cases, infant formula is a vital necessity, providing lifesaving nutrition to thousands of babies in the U.S. for whom breastfeeding is not possible due to allergies or immune conditions or other situations. Ro Khanna's continues, “...Four corporations control 90% of the baby formula market in the United States. President Biden met with most of the last month, after he used the Defense Production Act to speed up domestic production, and gave an update on Operation Fly Formula.

More from REP. RO KHANNA: “…I’m hearing in my district from many moms. I mean, as you pointed out, Operation Formula Fly only brought one week of baby formula back. There is massive concentration in this industry. That’s the root cause. Why is it that only four companies are producing the baby formula? There should have been antitrust action a long time ago.

But, going forward, there are a few key things we can do. First, you could invoke the Defense Production Act, not just to provide the supplies to Abbott — that’s what the president has done. You could actually invoke the Defense Production Act to start manufacturing baby formula in this country. That’s what Roosevelt did when there were shortages of production. They should be producing more baby formula, not just at Abbott, but at other facilities. And that is something that we’ve called on the president to do.

Second, the president could buy the baby formula from the global markets. Right now they’re simply transporting it. They aren’t actually buying in the global markets baby formula to have the stacks in the United States shelved.

And third, they should say that if the baby formula is safe for European babies, it’s safe for American babies. The FDA could do a lot more in providing that clearance. So, I applaud the president for taking steps, but it’s sort of — what happened is there was news made, there was an Oval Office address, and then everyone forgot about it, other than the mothers, who still have to feed their kid…”

Ro Khanna on Twitter

"Dignity in the Digital Age: Making Tech Work for All of Us"

The baby formula shortage continues… and it may even get worse…*Note: (it is July 2022, and as of July 25, the shortage continues.)

In May of 2022, after a problem at the Michigan Abbot Laboratory which produces baby formula, a shortage of formula became evident, leaving mothers of infants facing empty shelves wherever formula is sold. Following is an attempt to keep updated on the scarcity of baby formula.

News on Baby Formula Shortage

• House Democrats to hold hearings on baby formula crisis, introduce bill to beef up FDA inspections

• FDA announces plans to ease the shortage of baby formula

HOW TO FIND SCARCE BABY FORMULA?!!!!!!!!!!

Although we have been insured that the Biden/Harris Administration has put refilling the shelves with baby formula as a top priority; if you can’t find the formula which you need for your child, the HHS has put out a fact sheet giving you many alternatives for finding it. For example, the community resources suggestions are as follows:

• United Way’s 2-1-1: dial 2–1-1 to be connected to a community resource specialist affiliated with United Way who may be able to help you identify food pantries and other charitable sources of local infant formula and baby food.

• Feeding America: call your local food bank to ask whether they have infant formula and other supplies in stock.

• Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA): certain HMBANA-accredited milk banks are distributing donated breast milk to mothers in need; please note that some may require a prescription from a medical professional. Find an HMBANA-accredited milk bank.

WARNING: You should NOT water down formula, try to make formula at home, or use toddler formula to feed infants. Don’t discard formula unless it is expired or is part of the recall. Check your formula’s lot code exit disclaimer icon to see whether or not it was affected by the recall. You can find more guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics exit disclaimer icon.