Since the shutdown of the Sturgis Michigan Abbot Laboratories plant in February 2022, mothers have been scrambling to find baby formula. That story is widely known. But what is less discussed is how acute the loss of formula has been felt by minority and immigrant women who depend so much on baby formula to go back to work.
“My client, Mrs. Wong, began to worry (early on) when the cashier at Stop & Shop told her that she could only buy four bottles,” said Karen, a caseworker at a social service agency in Boston’s Chinatown. (Sampan withheld last names for privacy reasons.) “The shortage, according to the news, began in the early days of the pandemic, and worsened with subsequent labor shortages. By November 2021, 11% of popular brands were out of stock.”
Karen continued, “As more stores ran out of formula, my clients and their relatives started to rush from store to store frantically looking for formula. Many of them were working moms who depended on feeding their babies with baby formula rather than breastfeeding them to allow them to return to work. Many worked low paying jobs like housekeeping in hotels because they spoke little or no English but they needed to return to work because they needed the income. Many others worked for small restaurants, nail salons, house cleaning services which did not offer paid sick time or paid vacation time or any maternity leave guarantee.”
Less than two weeks after the Sturgis, Michigan Abbot laboratories reopened earlier this month, the plant was forced to shut down production again. Flooding in the area forced it to shut down.
“Severe thunderstorms and heavy rains came through southwestern Michigan on Monday evening, resulting in high winds, hail, power outages and flood damage throughout the area. These torrential storms produced significant rainfall in a short period of time – overwhelming the city’s storm water system in Sturgis, Mich., and resulting in flooding in parts of the city, including areas of our plant,” according to the company.
Abbott was in the process of getting some of the specialty formulas back on the market and although the second shut down has stopped production, they have produced enough to at least start shipping out. Abbott states that they have an “ample existing supply of EleCare” and other specialty formulas. NPR reported that EleCare was among one of the major recalls that Abbott made in the first place, typically for infants with allergies to cow’s milk. Abbott will be re-sanitizing and cleaning their plant before seeking to reopen a second time. The shortage is therefore still in effect, although the Biden administration has been taking some steps.
In late May, President Joe Biden announced Operation Fly Formula. This initiative partners the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Department of Human and Health Services (HHS), the General Services Administration (GSA), and the Department of Defense (DOD) to import baby formula from different nations while meeting the U.S. health and safety standards. The HHS reported that there are nine different flights scheduled to import formula, which began June 13. Biden recently announced the seventh shipment on June 15.
This one will bring a shipment of Nestlé infant formula from Switzerland to Kentucky. The sixth shipment, announced on the 10th, mentioned that Delta airlines would be bringing in baby formula to Detroit and Boston from the UK. Reuter’s reported that Delta is shipping 212,000 pounds of baby formula. This all in an attempt, by Biden, to speed up the import of formula and get more into the stores as quickly as possible. In addition, the FDA has reported that Abbott has 16.5 million bottles of their Similac formula set to be shipped from Spain this month.
Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf has said that it may take as early as July to see the shelves fully restocked. Although Wendy Sue Swanson, Pediatrician and Chief Medical Officer of SpoonfulONE, says it may be months before families see significant relief. Dr. Swanson hopes that the timeline for relief could move up with the FDA’s approval of Australian and British infant formula products.
“I am thankful and excited that international brands are stepping up to help solve the formula shortage crisis in the U.S. ” says Tanya Altmann, founder of Calabasas Pediatrics and best-selling author of What to Feed Your Baby. “Even with everyone working 24/7 together to help increase infant formula supply in the U.S., it is difficult to say exactly when the shortage will end. Once the store shelves are restocked, it’s going to take time for families to trust that the shortage is easing up. So, we could see some parents’ pantry stocking which could continue to prolong shortage.”
South Cove Community Health Center describes to Sampan that they are working closely with South Cove WIC office to ascertain the locations of any supplies of baby formula every day. AACA’s Multiservice Center is in touch with all local offices to keep abreast of any stores and programs so they can inform their families of any availability. This cooperative approach seems to help a very difficult situation.
