Pressure on Biden as baby formula crisis gets worse

The pressure is on President Joe Biden as the baby formula shortage is getting worse around the United States, particularly in the South and among the poor.

Minorities and lower-income families have been hit hardest by the crisis, which was sparked when Abbott Nutrition had to close its Michigan plant over safety concerns, resulting in bare grocery shelves, an uptick in prices and frantic parents.

New data shows that nationally 23% of powdered baby formula was out of stock in the week ended May 22, compared with 21% during the previous week, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing figures from the market-research firm IRI. 

Before the recall of the Abbott formula, 11% of powdered baby formula was out of stock because of covid pandemic-related supply-chain shortages and inflation. Before the pandemic, the normal out-of-stock range for powdered formula was 5% to 7%, according to IRI.

Kansas, Georgia, Texas, Montana and Tennessee are among the states experiencing the worst of the shortage.

Additonally, families that rely on funds from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, or WIC, have also been hit hard.

The administration has not been able to say exactly when more formula will be available.

But did announce a third shipment from Operation Fly Formula – this time bringing in Kendamil infant formula from the UK to the U.S. The shipments start June 9 and will contain 3.2 million 8-ounce bottle equivalents of Kendamil Classic Stage 1 and 540,000 8-ounce bottle equivalents of Kendamil Organic. 

United Airlines has agreed to transport Kendamil formula free of charge. The formula will be on Target shelves ‘within weeks’ of its arrival into the United States. 

The pressure is on President Joe Biden as the baby formula shortage is getting worse around the United States: New data shows that nationally 23% of powdered baby formula was out of stock

President Joe Biden meeting with formula manufacturers at White House including ByHeart, Bubs Australia, Reckitt, Perrigo Co. and Gerber

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But Biden will sit down with leaders of baby formula manufacturers ByHeart, Bubs Australia, Reckitt, Perrigo Co. and Gerber at the White House on Wednesday.

But one company is missing from the meeting: Abbott Nutrition, who started the shortage and is one of the nation’s biggest manufacturers of baby formula.

Heath and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and Surgeon General Vivek Murthy will join Biden at the sit down. 

The meeting will serve as an update on the production of formula and on Operation Fly Formula – the administration’s program to fly in baby formula from overseas. 

Abbott officials have said they expect to restart the plant on June 4 and begin shipping new formula to stores about three weeks later. 

Nearly 98% of baby formula is manufactured domestically. Four companies account for roughly 90% of the market: Abbott, Reckitt, Nestle and Perrigo. 

Baby formula arrives from Europe as part of Operation Fly Formula

The Biden administration announced last week it is bringing in enough baby formula from Australia to fill 27.5 million full-size, 8-ounce bottles.

‘Bubs Australia plans to provide at least 1.25 million cans of several varieties of its infant formula,’ the FDA said. 

Some of the product is already in stock and more is being manufactured, the agency noted.

But it hasn’t been announced when the product will arrive in the United States.  

Already, two shipments of formula have come in from Europe under Biden’s Operation Fly Formula. They brought in total 1.5 million, 8-ounce bottles of formula.