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How to Get Infant Formula Now
This is an emergency for US mothers
According to reporting from CBS News, 43% of top-selling infant formula products were out of stock the first week in May. In some states, more than 50% of these products were out of stock.
They are out of stock because in February the FDA recalled powder infant formulas manufactured at the Abbot facility in Sturgis, Michigan. These include Similac, Alimentum and EleCare.
The recall came after four infants became ill from bacterial infections related to Cronobacter sakazakii or Salmonella Newport and two died after ingesting formula manufactured at the Sturgis plant. Court records show that two batches of formula manufactured at Sturgis also tested positive for the bacteria in 2019 and 2020.
Abbot infant formula sales account for nearly half of the infant formula sold in the US and it is the largest supplier to the USDA’s Special Supplemetal Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), which provides formula to 45% of all infants in the US.
Abbot is one of only four companies that sell 90% of all US infant formula.
Government Actions
To ease the shortage, the Justice Department signed off on a consent decree in federal court on Monday that allows the Sturgis plant to reopen. The agreement requires Abbott to clean and sanitize its facility and all its equipment; hire an independent third party expert to review its processes; review and change its environmental monitoring program, its product sampling and testing plans, and its employee training programs. Abbot said that production of infant formula at their Sturgis facility could begin in two weeks and be on the shelves within six to eight weeks.
The Justice Department also issued a warning to States Attorneys General to be on the look out for efforts to exploit the shortage.
In particular, we are deeply concerned by reports that some businesses may be seeking to take advantage of this shortage by charging prices for this necessity that dramatically exceed its retail value. Many of your states have strong statutory prohibitions on price gouging. We urge you to use any such authorities under state law to monitor prices and take every step you…
