What would you do for some baby formula? It’s strange to see everyone scrambling to find such a necessary product, but we’ve been dealing with a shortage for most of the year. Supply chain issues, shortages, and a recent recall has made baby formula hard to find. So what can you do to get your baby the formula it needs? And how long will this shortage last? The answer may be coming sooner than expected.
Why There’s a Shortage
The 2020 pandemic created all kinds of supply chain issues, and we’re still dealing with the fallout. As a result, many products have been held off shelves, and formula is no different. However, the shortages didn’t become so severe until now because there was a massive recall of powdered infant formula that took 40% of supplies off the shelves.
Can your drug dealer help you out?
Now, as you saw in the video by Accuracy in Media, people are going to great lengths to ensure their baby has enough formula. The video “Baby Formula Drug Deal: The New Black Market?” takes a light-hearted approach to discussing why we struggle to get baby formula. Two mothers go to a drug dealer to get their formula, and some of the one-liners characterize precisely why some of our regulations prevent this issue from being resolved.
How long will this shortage last?
The characters talk about how the market is monopolized, and antitrust laws have not stepped in. And that the government created this problem by having so many trade restrictions and tariffs. Beth even explains that the FDA prohibits European imports because of labeling requirements, even though they made all of our safety standards.
But it’s not all doom and gloom. The Michigan facility they reference in the video that closed down and caused the recall will reopen under a new settlement between Abbott and the FDA. So supply should be on the rise again soon.