Erika Aguerrido, 42, member of La Colaborativa, checks out with 20 cans of formula as they gather formula supplies for the upcoming pantry openings in Chelsea, Mass., May 20. A shortage of baby formula sparked by supply chain problems and a major product recall have prompted Church and other aid agencies to respond in meeting the need. (Joseph Prezioso | AFP via Getty Images)CHARLOTTE — A nationwide shortage of baby formula – coupled with rising prices – is putting pressure on mothers in need and the support agencies who serve them.
“The mothers we serve are very concerned about the baby formula shortage,” said Debbie Capen, executive director of MiraVia, which assists pregnant and young mothers in need in the Charlotte area.
For the past few weeks, agencies like MiraVia and Catholic Charities have been fielding inquiries about finding or donating baby formula. Parishes are also responding with formula drives and search networking.
National out-of-stock rates for baby formula soared to 45% for the week ending May 15, up from 43% the week earlier, according to the Virginia-based pricing data firm Datasembly.
The empty shelves – where gaps first emerged in July 2021 – are due to “inflation, supply chain shortages and product recalls,” Ben Reich, the company’s founder and CEO, told CatholicPhilly.com, the news outlet for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
The shortage was triggered after one of the nation’s four major producers of formula – accounting for a little over 40% of the nation’s supply – was shut down in February.
Abbott Nutrition, maker of the Similac, Alimentum and EleCare brands, issued a volunteer product recall, flagging powdered infant formulas from its Sturgis, Mich., plant after complaints of bacterial infections in four infants, two of whom later died. The facility has largely been shuttered pending FDA clearance to resume operations.
Meanwhile, the cost of formula has skyrocketed. In 2019, name brand baby formula cost parents anywhere from 9 cents to 32 cents per ounce, but the price has soared to a range of 54 cents to $1.15 per ounce or higher, reports the New York-based consumer financial research firm SmartAsset.
Mothers with limited financial means are most vulnerable to these price increases.
They can get help through the federal government’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children program – better known as WIC.
About half of all baby formula in the U.S. is purchased with WIC benefits, used to feed approximately 1.2 million infants each year, government data shows.
Yet WIC vouchers do not meet the needs of everyone. In North Carolina, for example, WIC vouchers cover only the Gerber Good Start brand, and not specialized formulas for infants with allergies or other nutritional needs.
Most of the mothers Mira Via serves receive vouchers for baby formula through WIC, Capen said.
If the WIC-provided brand is not suitable for their baby, mothers must pay full price for another formula, she said, adding, “Formula is at a premium price right now, which only puts more stress on their limited resources.”
Facing criticism from consumers, federal officials are responding to the crisis with legislation and policy changes.
Last week the White House announced a series of measures to address the shortage – including new FDA guidance aimed at boosting imports of formula not typically sold in the U.S., invoking the Defense Production Act to require suppliers to prioritize infant formula manufacturers before other customers, and arranging for shipments of formula from Europe.
The shipments, which began earlier this week, are expected to deliver roughly 1.5 million bottles worth of formula from Switzerland to Indiana for distribution, the White House said.
On May 21, President Joe Biden also signed the Access to Baby Formula Act of 2022, designed to let families use WIC vouchers to buy formula products outside what is normally designated for the program during times of crisis.
In addition, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been helping manufacturers to boost production, prioritize the most needed product lines and streamline the importation process for some infant formula products.
Until supplies resume their normal level, people are being discouraged from panic-buying or buying formula in large quantities.
Local organizations are doing the best they can to help moms in need.
St. Mark Parish in Huntersville has organized a baby formula drive from now until next Friday, June 3. People can drop off their donations in the bin located in the church entrance. Donations will be distributed to several local agencies.
Organizer Donna Fodale said the parish felt impelled to act, living out the call to be the hands of Christ.
“We look around and there is so much suffering. Whatever the suffering is the Lord calls us to action – to be instruments of His love and mercy,” Fodale said.
“Knowing that parents are struggling just to feed their babies has been hard for all of us to see.”
At MiraVia, Capen and her staff are welcoming donations of formula and connecting with other area resources to match moms with the supplies they need for their babies.
“Our communities have found creative ways to communicate and share resources,” Capen said.
She recommends that people search social media and community apps like NextDoor or OfferUp to find formula or identify agencies that would welcome donations of formula.
— Catholic News Herald staff, Catholic News Service contributed.
Need formula?
- Substitute with more readily available generic brands if possible, unless your infant has special dietary needs. Switching formulas isn’t without side effects, so contact your pediatrician if you need to find a different brand.
- Reach out to your pediatrician or OB/GYN for recommendations and even free samples, especially if you need a brand for infants with sensitive digestive systems.
- Call the United Way’s 2-1-1 to get connected to charitable sources of local infant formula and baby food, as well as other services such as medical resources and possible government benefits.
- Do not water down formula, try to make formula at home, or use toddler formula to feed infants. Homemade infant formulas – recipes for which are widely available online – pose real health risks, from nutritional imbalances to contamination.
- For more tips, go online to www.hhs.gov/formula.
Want to help?
- If you are pregnant and have received free samples of formula, donate what you won’t use to food pantries or programs for new mothers.
- Catholic Charities’ food pantries in Asheville, Charlotte and Winston-Salem accept donations of baby formula, but given the varied nutritional needs of clients and their babies, financial donations are preferred so they and agencies such as MiraVia, Room At The Inn and others can provide customized, direct support to mothers.
- Give online at www.ccdoc.org, www.miravia.org or www.roominn.org.