For months, U.S. parents and caregivers have been contending with dwindling supplies of baby formula. But in recent weeks, the products have been especially hard to find, forcing some retailers to limit purchases as the Food and Drug Administration scrambles to respond to the crisis.

Roughly 1 in 4 parents exclusively breastfeed their children up to the age of 6 months, according to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, leaving the overwhelming majority of parents and caregivers at least partially dependent on formula.

Here’s what you need to know about the baby formula shortage.

WHAT TO KNOW
Why is baby formula so hard to find?
What’s being done to address the baby formula shortage?
What if I need a specific type of baby formula?
Can I make my own formula at home?
Why is baby formula so hard to find?
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The shortage “has been compounded by supply chain challenges, product recalls and historic inflation,” said Ben Reich, chief executive of Datasembly, which tracks retail information. As of last week, formula stockpiles were 43 percent lower than normal, data show, compared with 30 to 40 percent readings last month.

Baby formula shortage strains families, forces stores to ration

Ongoing supply chain disruptions tied to the coronavirus pandemic have fueled shortages of a wide range of consumer goods, but the lack of baby formula worsened in February after manufacturer Abbott issued a recall for products made at a Michigan plant and sold under the Similac, Alimentum and EleCare labels. Four children — one in Minnesota, one in Texas and two in Ohio — fell ill with bacterial infections, and two died.


The FDA said the bacterium Cronobacter sakazakii “may have contributed to the cause of death for both patients.”

Abbott said its own investigation concluded that the infant formula made at its Sturgis, Mich., facility is unlikely to be the source of the infections. On Wednesday, Abbott said it could restart production at the facility in two weeks, with clearance from the FDA, Reuters reported. It will take six to eight weeks for product to hit shelves once production comes back online, Abbott said.

What’s being done to address the baby formula shortage?
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Abbott said it is “prioritizing production of infant formula products” to alleviate shortfalls, including air-shipping product from its FDA-registered facility in Ireland on a “daily basis.” The company said it has been working with government agencies to help parents who get formula through the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) with other Similac products “at no cost, including for other manufacturers’ products.”


But those efforts have yet to translate to store shelves, according to Brian Dittmeier, senior director of public policy at the National WIC Association. Abbott is the exclusive supplier for more than half the nation’s WIC agencies, through which more than 1.2 million infants receive formula benefits, Dittmeier said. Such benefits are typically limited to a specific variety of formula, but agencies have waived some requirements to give families more flexibility during the shortage.

“The unprecedented scope of this infant formula recall has serious consequences for babies and new parents,” Dittmeier said.

FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf said in a statement Tuesday that the agency was “doing everything in our power to ensure there is adequate product available where and when” parents and caregivers need it.


The agency is meeting with major manufacturers to “better understand their capacity to increase production,” and the industry is “already working to maximize their production to meet new demands,” the FDA said.

It is also expediting reviews of manufacturing changes and the issuing of certificates to “allow for flexibility” in importing approved products.

Still, the FDA is under bipartisan criticism from some lawmakers over its response. Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro (D-Conn.) said in a statement that the agency may have “reacted far too slowly” to a whistleblower’s concerns about Abbott’s Michigan plant raised in October 2021. The FDA did not inspect the plant in person until the end of January, she said.

The whistleblower report alleged that Abbott falsified records, failed to maintain proper records and released untested baby formula. It also alleged that Abbott hid information during a 2019 audit by the FDA, and that products were unable to be properly traced.


In a news release, Abbott said it would “thoroughly investigate” the allegations in the whistleblower’s report. But the company claimed it was put forth by an employee who was “dismissed due to serious violations of Abbott’s food safety policies.”

“After dismissal, the former employee, through their attorney, has made evolving, new and escalating allegations to multiple authorities,” Abbott said.

Parents scramble for formula amid shortage, inflation

What if I need a specific type of baby formula?
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For parents and caregivers whose children need a certain type of formula for health conditions or for other reasons, the shortage and recall have been particularly onerous. For Claire Rowan, a Virginia mother whose 16-year-old son has extreme and deadly food allergies, the recall forced her to issue a plea on Facebook that “as of now, he has no food. None.” She continued: “Our choices are no food or likely anaphylaxis.”


For people in situations like Rowan, the FDA said it has informed Abbott that it “has no objection to the company immediately releasing product to individuals needing urgent, life-sustaining supplies” of specialized formulas.

Anyone needing specialized formulas can call Abbott at 1-800-881-0876 to request a product on a case-by-case basis.

Still, the FDA warned, the products were made at the Michigan plant during the time when safety concerns had been raised, and therefore “carry a risk of contamination.”

Those seeking access should “consult with their healthcare provider in considering whether the benefit of consuming such product outweighs the potential risk of bacterial infection in the user’s particular circumstances,” the agency said.

Can I make my own formula at home?
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The FDA says not to, because homemade formula may lack essential nutrients for infants, whose sole source of nutrition is often the formula.


Even so, some parents might understandably feel desperate enough to try: The shortage is colliding with raging inflation. Americans are paying more for necessities across the board, from the gas in their cars to the roofs over their heads. Baby formula, the only viable substitute for breast milk, is expensive, with the average cost of popular brands well exceeding $1,000 in the infant’s first year, according to the U.S. Surgeon General.

Dittmeier said that the National WIC Association has been sounding the alarm about “risky behaviors" that have been amplified on social media, “including the use of homemade formulas, diluting infant formula, consuming recalled formula products, or introducing cow’s milk earlier than recommended.”

“We continue to urge families to consult a health-care provider when switching formulas,” Dittmeier said.