What Matters email:

[applegrove]

"SNIP.....

Where's the formula?

The baby formula shortage story has so many elements. But the top line is that the closure of the country’s largest formula plant in February has many parents worried they might not be able to feed their babies.

There are no answers from government and business, other than parents who can’t find formula should call their pediatricians.

Health angles. The possible contamination of formula from Abbott Nutrition may have sickened four babies. Two died after consuming powdered formula manufactured by the company’s facility in Sturgis, Michigan. Abbott has questioned whether the rare infections caused by Cronobacter sakazakii bacteria occurred because of its formula.

Misinformation angles. Parents are looking for alternatives to formula and wading through misinformation about how to feed their babies during the shortage. Don’t try to make your own formula, experts have told CNN.

Business angles. Shutting down one single factory exacerbated pandemic-related supply chain issues and supercharged this nationwide shortage – even though only certain batches of Similac, Alimentum and EleCare powdered infant formulas were actually recalled in February.

More than half of formula is out of stock in eight states and the District of Columbia, according to a new report from Datasembly, a real-time data tracking agency.

Abbott said on Wednesday that it could restart production at the Michigan facility, pending US Food and Drug Administration approval, within two weeks. Formula from the shuttered plant could be on shelves six to eight weeks after that.

Whistleblower angles. A former employee sent detailed allegations to the FDA that Abbott was hiding safety issues months before formula was recalled.

.....SNIP"

Screams for more competition.

[Timewas]

1. Hmmmmmm

Maybe they should look into what babies were fed before formula became the thing...Too much trouble for them,??

[applegrove]

2. They were interviewing a mom on the radio. Her kids were allergic

to the protein in milk. When she breast fed she had to watch out for 50 different proteins that she could not eat if she was brestfeeding, so she stopped. She is going to try again seeing as how she will be out of formula in two weeks. I know that is a rare case but it must be so upsetting and scary for so many families.

[Timewas]

4. I can understand that

Up to a point, but still possible with a lot of effort. But that is a pretty rare thing and most are not anywhere near that difficult to feed. We raised ours and never bought any formula and I know many that did it that way..

[applegrove]

5. Well I'm sure many women will give it another try.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

3. Before formula and bottles, there were wet nurses, women

with an abundant supply of breast milk who could nurse several babies.

Or babies simply died. Remember the high infant mortality rates of the past? Some of that would have been connected to breast-feeding issues.