The shortage of baby formula has now reached 70% nationwide, according to Datasembly. It’s worse in some western states at 80 – 89%.
We are distracted by some terrible news, but despite that, we should not forget that Joe Biden has done nothing about the baby formula problem outside of his dramatic, albeit trivial, Operation Fly care packages of formula. The recent airlift was only political theater as most people realize. Europe can’t stock our shelves and very little came. So far, that’s all the government is doing.
For the week ending May 22, the out-of-stock rate for baby formula rose to 70% nationwide. It’s an increase of 25% in one week when the national out-of-stock rate for baby formula stood at 45%.
In April, the data showed that the formula shortages hit 30% before jumping to 43% by early May.
In individual states, 4 of 8 states with baby formula stock levels under 20% are located in the southwest. Utah is estimated to have the lowest baby formula stock at 11%, followed by Arizona at 13%. Nevada is at 16% stock and California’s formula supply is down to 20%.
There are no immediate solutions on the horizon. Abbott Nutrition’s Sturgis, Michigan, shuttered facility exacerbated the industry-wide shortage. It will restart production by June but products won’t return to store shelves until mid-July or later, the company reports.
FDA Chief Robert Califf, while congress grilled him about the FDA’s role in the shortage on May 4, floated the nonsensical idea that “misinformation is now our leading cause of death” in the U.S. It “keeps him up at night,” he noted.
Misinformation is the leading cause of death, not drug overdose deaths, rising suicides – even among children, diseases, murders, and foreign wars – no, not those. He needs his bell rung a few more times because his boat hasn’t even left the dock yet.
“…the issue that keeps him up at night… is the proliferation of false and misleading health information, particularly online — and the distrust in institutions, data, and expertise that it has wrought.”
Perhaps he should have stayed awake thinking about how he was going to get someone to inspect the Abbott Michigan plant. Abbott couldn’t get anyone on the phone and waited a month for an inspection and clearance to re-open. There were delays before that as well.
Perhaps the real problems should keep him up at night and not the flighty word potatoes he’s trying to sell.
Senator Cotton had to bring him back to earth and remind him they were discussing food.
He reluctantly admitted the FDA was too slow to respond. And as for workflow and timeliness, he said, “We don’t have the great answer.”
Some politicians want tariffs ended so we can send the baby formula manufacturing overseas. In the short term, that’s not a bad idea. However, in the long term, a better idea is to open more than four factories to make our baby formula. We spend billions to promote climate change and racist ideology in schools. Why not spend billions opening some baby formula factories in the US? Abbott could use the competition.
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