Baby milk disappears from US shelves, and parents travel hours to buy cans

A severe shortage of baby milk powder, caused by the supply chain crisis and the recall of one of the country’s biggest suppliers, is hitting the United States. Families across the country are driving for hours and even stocking up on the product to ensure their children are fed.

The shortage of infant milk in the US was triggered by problems in logistics chains caused by the pandemic, which make it difficult to distribute product ingredients, and by the labor crisis faced by the United States, compromising the arrival of milk on supermarket shelves.

The problem was compounded in February, when Abbot Nutrition, the largest supplier of baby milk in the United States, voluntarily recalled three of its products. At least four babies were hospitalized with bacterial infections and two died after ingesting the brand’s milk.

After the incident, the company closed its unit in Michigan, where the products were manufactured, and is awaiting authorization to resume production.

As a result, the baby milk shortage rate in the United States reached 43% in the last week, according to Datasembly, a provider of retail data.

Supermarkets in the country have even limited the purchase of units of the product, and online sellers have sold cans at up to triple the normal price.

“The unprecedented scope of this infant formula recall has serious consequences for babies and new parents,” WIC Association National Director of Public Policy Brian Dittmeier said in an interview with the New York Times. The organization provides nutritional assistance to women, babies and children in the US and has Abbot as its exclusive provider in more than half of its branches in the country.

For many families, infant milk is a necessity. Some babies cannot drink breast milk – or at least not enough milk to stay healthy – while many mothers, especially those on low incomes, are paid by the hour of work and don’t have time to breastfeed.

To the NYT, families report that they are forming groups on Facebook to alert each other about restocked stocks and cheaper prices. Some even drive for hours and visit as many as six stores in nearby cities to find a can — or sometimes more empty shelves.

Parents who buy online say that, in addition to prices much higher than normal, they have encountered scammers who pretend to be selling the product but never deliver it.

There are also those who, without success in the race, seek alternatives that can compromise the health of babies. A single mother told the Washington Post that she was considering starting regular milk for her nine-month-old baby, as she couldn’t find the infant product and couldn’t afford to look for it for so long. The practice, however, is contraindicated by specialists, as it can affect the child’s development.

In addition, some families resort to reducing the regular amount of milk when feeding the child, diluting the formula in water and complementing it with other food, something that is also not recommended, as it compromises the amount of nutrients ingested by the baby.

The FDA (US Food Regulatory Agency) and the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) also warn of the risks of families looking to make their own homemade infant milk, which can also compromise the health of babies.

Government rushes to secure supplies

Last Friday (13), the Speaker of the United States House, Nancy Pelosi, said she would follow up on a bill to grant emergency authority to the federal food assistance program for women and children, seeking to ease restrictions on food. types of milk that can be purchased.

“The babies are crying and they are hungry,” Pelosi said in a statement to lawmakers. “Therefore, we must take urgent action to protect their health and well-being.”

President Joe Biden called the milk shortage the most pressing problem facing him, and said the FDA was taking steps that could pay off in the coming weeks.

On Thursday, the Biden administration announced that it will increase imports of infant milk powder, and that authorities are working to remove trade barriers to the purchase of the product.

The FDA said it was working “round the clock” to help reopen the Sturgis plant, after collecting several samples of the bacterial infection that led to Abbott’s recall during its investigation. The regulator also said it is working with other manufacturers to increase supply.

Meanwhile, Abbott said that if it receives FDA approval, it is ready to resume production within two weeks and have milk back on shelves within eight weeks.

with Reuters