Babies and their well-being have never been much of a priority in the United States. But an alarming shortage of infant formula — and the lack of a national mobilization to keep babies fed — provides a new measure of how deeply that indifference runs.
Formula has been in short supply since the early days of the covid-19 pandemic. Back then, customers who could afford it stockpiled formula to limit their trips outside. A manufacturing and delivery cycle that takes between 12 and 16 weeks from start to finish didn’t keep pace. Freight delays held up crucial ingredients. Like many other industries, formula manufacturers struggled with labor shortages. And as 2021 turned into 2022, a spate of severe winter storms slowed deliveries of products to store shelves.
The worst blow came in February, when Abbott Nutrition recalled formula made in its Sturgis, Mich., plant. Two babies who drank formula from the plant died of bacterial infections, and others were hospitalized. Although bacteria wasn’t found in the samples they drank, Abbott announced the recall as a precaution.
For Abbott to face such a shutdown is significant, given the role it plays in the highly concentrated U.S. formula market. In 2008, three companies made 98 percent of the formula Americans bought; Abbott alone accounted for 43 percent of the market.
According to the retail analysis firm Datasembly, starting the week of April 24, the amount of formula available on shelves was 40 percent below normal inventory...
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