As baby formula shortage drags on, parents turn to each other for tips, support

The nationwide shortage of baby formula continues to see parents scrambling to find needed products — and locally, as from coast to coast, joining forces to assist each other in the search.

While stock had been low since November 2021, between pandemic hoarding and supply-chain issues, it intensified after a recall of three formulas earlier this year led to the shutdown by the FDA of a leading manufacturer's Michigan plant.

Abbott Nutrition recalled their Similac, Alimentum and EleCare formulas in February after four infants fell ill and two infants died, leading to concerns about bacterial contamination in the Michigan facility. Recently cleared to resume production, Abbott announced plans to restart production as of this past Saturday and will prioritize EleCare, which is hypoallergenic and critical for infants and children who have severe food allergies or gastrointestinal disorders.

At Publix on State Road 524, formula choices were slim on June 1, while at a nearby CVS, just a few choices were available. It's the same countywide — a mix of semi-stocked shelves one day; a run on them the next that leaves shoppers scrambling to find the right formula. On many store websites, "Out of Stock" is a common phrase.

Local parents in search of product in many cases have turned to social media, sharing messages and tips on Facebook groups including Moms Helping Moms, Spacecoast Formula Search and the Mutual Aid Network.

"Can I find formula, and if I do, can I afford it?" is the message for many, said Kathy Jackson and Leslie Mitchell, Brevard residents who've coordinated many of the Mutual Aid posts from worried parents and family members.

The first requests for help came in February after the recall and focused a lot on the specialized formulas, Jackson said.

By late April, the needs started increasing and more requests to help locate multiple kinds of formula started showing up. Jackson created a May 13 post to streamline the needs, inviting photos of what shoppers saw on store shelves.

"The post is pinned as one of our featured posts so that it is seen first when you enter the group," she said. "Or if it isn’t in the feed for some, it is easy to find."

The posts can be heartbreaking and heartening at the same time.

So many folks are living on the edge, and a shortage puts a strain on their resources — they can't necessarily drive around to different stores to find formula, said Mitchell.

'But in our community, there are always the helpers," she said. "Some sharing information about where they're finding formula in stock; some offering up formula they can't use; some offering other ideas like ordering online."

The bottom line, Jackson said, is "I think they are overcome by worrying if they have enough money to buy whatever is on the shelf."

"The good that I see in this post and others through this group and Freebeez in Need, a private group, is that even people who don’t have children are searching formula aisles wherever they go," she said.

Rep questions delay

At a Wednesday meeting with manufacturers, President Joe Biden said  he wasn't alerted that the nation faced a looming shortage of baby formula until April, though executives of baby formula manufacturers said they sounded the alarm to retailers two months earlier.

Biden, speaking to CEOs displayed on television screens, touted his administration's efforts to increase production through "Operation Fly Formula," which seeks to import baby formula from overseas, and by invoking wartime powers through the Defense Production Act. Both actions were announced in May, three months after the Abbott plant's closure.

On Thursday, the FDA announced in a press release that eased restrictions on foreign formula manufacturers has allowed the authorization of a shipment of about 440,000 pounds of baby formula from Germany, expected to hit U.S. shelves in June and July.

If the president is asking questions, said U.S. Rep. Bill Posey, "he ought to be directing them to the FDA and asking the same questions my constituents are asking."

"And, frankly, I want to know the answers as well," said Posey, who in May voted yes on the Access to Baby Formula Act (HR 7791), allowing low-income families access to more formulas through the WIC program. He also opposed legislation to give the FDA more funding above the increase already authorized this year.

"One, what took the FDA three months to begin an investigation? Two, what was the FDA doing between December and May? Three, why did the FDA take six months to see the need to get this facility back on line, and four, why did the FDA not reach out to other infant formula manufacturers to encourage them to increase production to fill the need?"

This crisis should not have happened, said Posey, a Republican.

"The FDA scrambled into action only after feeling political pressure from parents and pundits," he sai

Contact Kennerly at bkennerly@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @bybrittkennerly Facebook: /bybrittkennerly. Local journalism like this needs your support. Consider subscribing to your local newspaper. See our current offers.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: As baby formula shortage drags on, parents band to offer tips, support