FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Sara Robertson 

(Sara.Robertson2@mail.house.gov)

Rep. Crawford Demands Answers to Baby Formula Shortage

5/12/2022

Washington — Today, Representative Rick Crawford (AR-01) joined several of his colleagues in demanding answers from President Biden and FDA Commissioner Califf about their plans to address the national shortage of baby formula. 

This month, the out of stock rate for baby formula shot up to 40%. This is a major concern to families across the nation whose babies are reliant on formula to meet their nutritional needs. The FDA estimates that around 67% of babies are fed at least partially through a formula diet. 

“As working families continue to struggle with gas prices and rising inflation, parents of young children now must face bare shelves when shopping for their baby formula. For many babies, formula is the only option due to dietary restrictions or health-related complications. This matter needs to be addressed with urgency and Americans deserve to know that there is a real solution forthcoming,” said Rep. Crawford.

The baby formula shortage started to emerge in February, but the Biden Administration seems to have been caught off guard and only started making its resolution a priority in the last week.

Causes of the nation-wide shortage have been attributed to multiple issues, including a major plant being shut down in Sturgis, MI for potential health risks, as well as supply chain problems in the aftermath of COVID-19 mandated business closures. Parents had already been reeling from the soaring inflation that has wreaked havoc on family budgets.

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