COLUMBUS – State and federal governments are scrambling to help parents dealing with a nationwide infant formula shortage.
President Joe Biden on Wednesday invoked the Defense Production Act to speed production and has authorized flights to import supply from overseas that meet federal standards.
Ohio, meanwhile, has applied for waivers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services to extend more options to families purchasing formula for the 36,000 infants who receive Women, Infant, Children nutrition benefits in Ohio.
“The WIC program has, in collaboration with federal agencies, implemented several to help families during this time, including adding flexibility of formula choice, including allowing different size cans to be purchased,” Ohio Department of Health director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff.
WIC staff are trying to help families fight the right formula for their children, including contacting physicians and retail outlets to identify additional options, and meeting with vendors and retailers to ask them to rapidly stock shelves as additional formula arrives.
Supplies of baby formula have been severely curtailed after a February recall by Abbott Nutrition due to contamination issues.
After getting the OK to resume production, Abbott said it will take eight to 10 weeks before new products begin arriving in stores.