Why is there a baby formula shortage?

The answer is found in Michigan...

ParentingPatch, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Like me, you may have seen rumblings online about a baby formula shortage.

The reasons why were unclear.

Until tonight - I came across this:

Marina Medvin 🇺🇸 @MarinaMedvin

US government is literally responsible for the baby formula shortage. FDA shut down America's largest baby formula plant. It’s been closed for 3 months. No explanation. AND now FDA refuses to reopen it as parents across US struggle to feed their babies.

dailymail.co.ukFDA refuses to say when America’s largest formula plant will reopenAbbott Laboratories claims it is not responsible for the bacteria outbreak that killed two babies. The formula manufacturer also said it is ‘working closely with the FDA to restart operations’ at the plant.

Now, the tweet caption above the article is misleading. Yes, the plant was closed by the FDA, but not with “no explanation.”

Heather Coil @HCoil

@MarinaMedvin No explanation? Did you read the article? “The FDA - which said it found food safety violations at the plant, as well as five strains of Cronobacter, a bacteria that can cause blood infections and meningitis - has refused to say when the plant can resume operations.”

It’s logical to conclude that if you shut down the largest baby formula factory for three months, there will be product shortages as a result.

According to The Daily Mail, the baby formula company Abbott “alleges that none of the formula distributed to consumers tested positive for Cronobacter or Salmonella.

The manufacturer claims the FDA and Abbott officials both tested retained products for the bacterias and yielded negative results.

Abbott notes no trace of Salmonella was found at the Sturgis plant and the Cronobacter that was found in environmental testing during the investigation was in non-product contact areas of the facility.

The company alleged the traces of Cronobacter at their plant have 'not been linked to the two available patient samples or any other known infant illness.'

February's recall, which is isolated to powder formulas, including Similac, Alimentum and EleCare, manufactured only at the Sturgis plant has significantly disrupted the supply chain.

The nationwide share of out-of-stock baby formula hit 40 percent in April. Texas, Tennessee, Missouri, Iowa, North Dakota and South Dakota, seemingly hardest hit by the shortages, reported out-of-stock rates of about 50 percent.

As shelves across the country meant to carry baby formula remain largely barren, retailers including Target, CVS and Walgreens are limiting the amount of formula consumers can purchase.”

Understandably, many parents who have infants with special dietary needs or cannot breastfeed are starting to panic.

The baby formula maker, the FDA and the Biden Administration all claim to be working to resolve the matter as quickly as possible.

This baby formula plant shutdown combined with a rash of food factory fires is getting people’s attention.

News Detectives will continue watching food supply chain news developments.