The supply of formula is so limited that retailers like Walgreens even limit how much consumers can buy at the same time. A spokesman for the pharmacy chain told CBS MoneyWatch that it was restricting customers to three baby and infant formula products per transaction, citing “increased demand and various supplier problems”. The supply chain cries associated with COVID-19 contribute to the lack of formula in the US. They include manufacturers who face greater difficulty in sourcing key components, packaging, and labor shortages, with these factors influencing production and distribution. In addition, a significant withdrawal of infant milk in January exacerbated the shortages. At retail stores across the US, 29% of top-selling baby formula products were out of stock in the week of March 13, according to an analysis by Datasembly, which monitored baby formula stock in more than 11,000 stores. This is a sharp increase from 11% in November. “This is a shocking number you do not see for other categories,” Ben Reich, CEO of Datasembly, told CBS MoneyWatch. Milk recall for infants after suspected infant deaths 02:52 “We are watching it over time and it is growing dramatically. We see that this category is affected by economic conditions more dramatically than others,” Reich added. In 24 US states, 30% of the formula was out of stock by mid-March, while other states saw even more serious shortages. In Minnesota, 54% of infant formula products were out of stock during the same period. Parents in Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, North and South Dakota, Rhode Island and Texas are also struggling with severe deficiencies of at least 40%, according to Datasembly. By comparison, in the first seven months of 2021, between 2% and 8% of infant formula products were out of stock. “We noticed it’s hard to find maybe a few months ago – two, three months ago – and only recently can we not find it,” San Francisco resident Irene Anhoeck told CBS News earlier this year. “We tried all the local targets. We checked Costco, Costco online, Walgreens, Long’s. I can not find them anywhere.” Product shortages worsened further in February, when Abbott Nutrition launched a widespread recall of infant formula products following reports of infant morbidity. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration last week issued a warning to consumers not to use any of the recalled products made at the Abbott Nutrition’s Sturgis facility in Michigan after finding the plant was unhealthy.
Avoid accumulation
The American Board of Baby Nutrition recently reassured parents in a statement on its website that manufacturers are increasing production to meet the needs of families. The council also encourages parents to keep a stock or formula for 10 days to two weeks at home, while urging them not to store products. A CVS Health spokesman acknowledged that “product supply challenges are currently affecting most of the retail industry”. The company is working with “national suppliers of baby dairy products to address this issue and we are sorry for any inconvenience our customers may face,” the spokesman added. In January, Enfamil, a leading brand of baby products, said it was facing an unprecedented 18% increase in demand for baby milk nationwide. “We have taken steps to increase production and we are currently shipping 50% more products to address the problems as quickly as possible,” a spokesman for Refitt, the maker of Enfamil, told CBS News at the time.
