Illinois parents scramble to find baby formula amid national shortage

[May 24, 2022] By Elyse Kelly | The Center Square contributor

(The Center Square) – Illinois parents are scrambling to find baby formula amid a national shortage, though some relief may be on the way.

The first week of May saw 43% of baby formula supplies out of stock in stores across the country, according to retail data tracker Datasembly.

Sunday, a military plane landed in Indianapolis with 78,000 pounds of formula.

“It is no small feat that this plane filled with formula arrived today,” U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said on Twitter. “Typically, the process to transport this product from Europe would take 2 weeks. Thanks to Operation Fly Formula, we cut that down to merely 3 days.”

A recent recall by Abbott Nutrition, the company that produces the ubiquitous brand Similac among others, is one of the main reasons behind the shortage of formula.

Dr. Anita Chandra-Puri, spokesperson for the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said there were concerns over contamination.

“There aren’t a lot of companies that produce formula in the United States so when one company has a large plant that gets shut down, there’s a subsequent decline in formula production,” she told The Center Square.

After four infants who consumed the product were hospitalized and two died, Abbott Nutrition recalled formula produced in its Sturgis, Michigan, plant over concerns of contamination.

While it affects everyone using infant formula, healthy children may be able to switch to a comparable brand. For others, it’s much harder.

Chandra-Puri said some families may need to talk to a doctor to find alternatives.

“Individual families where their baby may need a specialized formula particularly for children with metabolic disorders or allergic conditions where they really need a very specialized formula, this can be a significant, significant problem,” she said.

The scarcity of formula means parents will have to be resourceful going to different stores or online.

“It’s particularly a problem in smaller towns or rural areas where there aren’t as many resources, as many stores to purchase formula,” Chandra-Puri said.

When running low, parents may be tempted to cut corners, but Chandra-Puri warns against this.

“They are designed to be mixed the way the package tells you to mix it,” she said. “Parents should not be diluting formula in any way because that is dangerous for the baby. It’s very dangerous for the baby’s kidneys and neurologic development.”

Chandra-Puri also warns against substituting cow’s milk in young infants or attempting a homemade formula.

Babies 11 months and older who are already eating some solid foods can substitute formula with whole cows’ milk for a short period, but Chandra-Puri cautions that is a short term solution and should not be considered for younger infants.