U.S.: FDA addressing baby formula shortage

The White House said Monday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is “working around the clock” to address the baby formula shortage, as manufacturers say they're producing at full capacity and making as much formula as they can.

It's still not enough to meet current demand.

“The FDA issued a recall to make sure that they're meeting their obligation to protect the health of Americans, including babies who, of course, were receiving or taking this formula, and ensure safe products are available. That's their job,” press secretary Jen Psaki said.

“Ensuring the availability is also a priority for the FDA and they're working around the clock to address any possible shortage,” she added.

Psaki said the FDA is taking “a number of steps” to address the issue, including working with major infant formula manufacturers to ensure they're increasing production and working with the industry to optimize supply lines and product sizes and prioritize product lines that are of greatest need.

For months, stores nationwide have been struggling to stock enough baby formula. Manufacturers say they're producing at full capacity and making as much formula as they can, but it's still not enough to meet current demand.

The out-of-stock rate for baby formula hovered between 2% and 8% in the first half of 2021 but began rising sharply in July. Between November and early April, the out-of-stock rate jumped to 31%, data from Datasembly showed.

That rate increased another 9 percentage points in just three weeks in April, and now stands at 40%, the statistics show.