The national media has moved on from the baby formula shortage crisis, but the crisis continues.
Despite the Biden administration’s reverse “Berlin Airlift” formula, experts say it will be a couple of months before stock rates improve.
More than 21% of formula products — powder, ready-to-drink and liquid — were out of stock during the week ending June 19, compared with a typical rate of 10% before a nationwide infant formula recall by Abbott Nutrition happened in February.Stock rates for powder formula, specifically, are even worse. More than 27% of powder formula products were out of stock during the week ending June 19, up from 25% the prior week and 23% the week before that, IRI data shows.”Our goal remains ramping up supply and moving it to retail shelves and warehouses as quickly as possible,” Kevin Munoz, a White House spokesperson told CNN, citing Operation Fly Formula efforts along with ramp ups afforded by the Defense Protection Act and increased flexibilities from the US Food and Drug Administration.The Operation Fly Formula deliveries are not enough to completely replenish formula supply — they cover just a few days of typical sales.
Current estimates are for shelves to be full again by the end of August or early September.
Meanwhile, the reverse Berlin Airlift continues.
A cargo plane from Germany landed at Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, early Sunday, carrying more than 150,000 pounds of baby formula, according to a local report.The shipment, part of President Biden’s “Operation Fly Formula” operation to address the baby formula shortage, landed just before 7 a.m. with 10,500 cases of formula – enough formula for 1.5 million bottles, KHOU-TV reported.The cases will be transported to the Nestlé distribution center in Fort Worth, which will distribute the formula to retailers across the U.S.Global companies that make baby formula are bringing products into the U.S. after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) relaxed its import policy to address the issue.
Unfortunately, scammers are taking advantage of desperate parents.
“One thing we see a lot of is people stealing other people’s photos of formula like in a house and saying, ‘Hey, I have this, I’m willing to ship it,’ and then they get your info, your address and then once you send the payment they never have it,” Jess Skalicky, a group moderator for Formula Finder – Minnesota said.Michelle Grob, a mom from Champlin, never thought she’d be one to fall victim to a scam.“No, I never thought that someone would stoop that low to scam people out of baby formula and money. Baby formula is so expensive to begin with,” Grob said….“She gave the background. Her sister had the formula and they were willing to ship it because it was such a far distance,” Grob said, adding that she and the woman talked back and forth over Facebook Messenger for hours.Eventually, Grob decided to send the money, $170, and then the woman stopped responding.“(She) just ghosted us. She blocked us on Facebook and the person we sent the money to blocked us as well,” Grob said.
It looks like it will be a long, hot summer for many parents with infants.
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