Infant Formula Shortage Hits Close to Home for Indiana Couple

The infant formula shortage is scary and hitting close to home for many parents throughout the country.

"The formula shortage of 2022 is real. For those not currently using formula, just envision the toilet paper shortage of 2020. Same thing, but for babies," first-time mom of preemie twins Katey Brattain Evans said on a post on Facebook.

Evans lives in central Indiana with her husband, Blaine. 

"Empty shelves. Out of stock online. Quantity limits, in store and online - if you're lucky enough to find it anywhere," Evans adds. "We've been ordering from Amazon, but now it's not even an option when you search for it."

Meanwhile over in Ohio, Evans' friend Maddison Caldwell decided to check out her local stores to help her friend after reading her post. She hit the formula jackpot.

In the past 10 days, Caldwell has shipped $978 worth of infant formula to friends in seven states where shortages are rampant. 

"I seemed to have good luck finding the formula they needed and decided to reach out to see if others needed help, too. The response was unreal," Caldwell says.

The Evans family says they are grateful for family and friends who have helped them find formula from coast to coast. Photo by Cee Lee Photography.

Government Addresses Shortage

On May 13, the Biden administration announced several moves to address the baby formula shortage on Friday. USDA is urging states to take advantage of flexibilities the department is offering in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, commonly known as WIC, to help families get the safe formula they need.

“We’re acutely aware that the ongoing recall has left many parents and caregivers concerned about access to formula and how they will feed their babies,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a release. “Our team is committed to the health and safety of all Americans and is calling on states to act immediately to offer maximum flexibility, information, and support to WIC participants. Meanwhile, USDA will continue the work we started in February, working not only within our department, but across the federal government, suppliers and partners to end this infant formula crisis as quickly as possible.”

Since Abbott Nutrition’s voluntary recall of certain powdered infant formulas produced at Abbott Nutrition's Sturgis, Mich., facility, USDA has been working closely with FDA to ensure program participants and stakeholders have the information they need to keep infants safe. USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) immediately offered support to states and within days, announced a suite of flexibilities available, such as allowing states to broadly offer alternate sizes, forms and brands of formula and allowing stores to accept exchanges of formula purchased with WIC benefits, USDA said in a release.

USDA is also in communication with Abbott, the manufacturer at the center of the recall. Vilsack called the company on Friday to redouble their efforts to ensure WIC participants have access to safe formula, especially those who rely on specialty formulas produced by Abbott.

"WIC supports the purchase of formula for moms and families of young children," USDA said. "Typically, there are rules about what products families can purchase with WIC benefits and what stores can allow. USDA has been working with states to relax those rules to help deal with the impacts of the shortage."

To date, not all states have adopted all flexibilities. States are encouraged to immediately take advantage of those flexibilities to alleviate burdens across the supply chain and stand ready to assist with their requests.

Over the last several months, USDA said the federal government has worked round the clock to address the production shortfall brought about by the recall. More infant formula has been produced in the last four weeks than in the four weeks that preceded the recall, despite one of the largest infant formula production facilities in the country being offline during that time, the release said.

INCA Commits to Meeting Needs

The Infant Nutrition Council of America (INCA) said it's committed to meeting the needs of families who rely on infant formula. 

"Supply chain challenges, including impacts on transportation, labor, and logistics and a recent product recall, have impacted infant formula availability. Infant formula manufacturers are actively working with suppliers, distributors, retailers and state agencies to ensure availability and access to infant formula products, to quickly address the needs of babies everywhere. Parents and caregivers should always obtain infant formula from a safe, reliable source and discuss feeding-related questions with a healthcare provider," INCA says.

Families who believe they qualify for the WIC program are encouraged to contact their local WIC agency, INCA adds. Families can order infant formula for home delivery directly from online retailers.

"Be sure to consult a child’s pediatrician on all infant feeding options. Commercial infant formulas from INCA member companies are safe and designed to provide babies with the nutrients they need for healthy growth and development," INCA says.