COLUMBUS – The nationwide shortage of baby formula has many Ohio families scrambling to feed their little ones.
Just a couple of months after a safety recall, the out-of-stock rate hit 40 percent and several major retailers are rationing sales.
“There are a lot of folks trying to figure out what the best course of action is and what is the quickest course of action, because obviously this is a very dire situation,” says Hope Lane-Gavin, a health equity fellow with the Center for Community Solutions.
Ongoing supply problems have intensified since manufacturer Abbott shuttered its largest U.S. formula plant due to contamination concerns.
Benisha Wright, of Reynoldsburg, has two children younger than two who both rely on formula for all of their nutrition. Because she participates in the federal Women, Infant, Children nutrition program, she is limited to purchasing certain sizes and brands.
“They’ve been changed from one formula to another. Even with that, there’s just not enough. I travel about six different stores on three different days looking for the formulas, and so my life is very busy, ” Wright said.
More than 36,000 infants are enrolled in the WIC program in Ohio, Lane-Gavin said.
Major retail chains including CVS and Walgreens are limiting how many containers customers can purchase at one time to conserve supplies.
Experts are cautioning parents against watering down formula, using recalled formula or giving cow’s milk to a child before the age of one. Pediatricians are urging parents who can’t find formula to contact food banks or doctor’s offices. They warn against watering down formula to stretch supplies or using online DIY recipes.
“If you cannot access or cannot find your formula, talk to your pediatrician to figure out the best options available to you. Sometimes pediatric offices have formula that they can order and sometimes they’ll choose to move your baby to baby food sooner, ” Lane-Gavin said.
Regulators with the Food and Drug Administration are looking at importing formula to boost U.S. supplies and the White House says the Biden administration is considering other steps to alleviate the shortage.