Why is baby formula in short supply? Some Texas stores are bare. Here’s what to know.
At the Target on West 7th Street in Fort Worth, six shelves that used to stock containers of baby formula are bare, only sparsely lined with specialty baby products and a sign that describes an FDA recall for certain brands. “Inventory may be sporadic,” it says.
The sign was supposed to be displayed until March 26, but it remains there six weeks later.
For months, parents across the country, including in North Texas, have been struggling to find baby formula on store shelves. Now even more supplies are out of stock, and Texas parents are having an especially hard time scrambling to feed their babies.
Texas is one of the states with the worst shortages, alongside Tennessee, Missouri, Iowa, North Dakota and South Dakota. More than half of available baby formula was sold out in Texas stores during the last week of April, according to Datasembly.
“When they’re not able to find the formula brand or the kind that they particularly need for their child, they get desperate,” said Robert Dudley, program and warehouse manager at Hope Supply Co., a nonprofit that provides essentials to North Texas children. “And they’re searching multiple different stores.”
In response to the product’s ongoing shortage, major retailers have instituted limits on how much baby formula you can buy.
Why is there a baby formula shortage?
Supply chain issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have been exacerbated by Abbott Laboratories recalling popular powdered formula brands Similac, Similac PM 60/40, Alimentum, Elecare and EleCare Jr. The recall was initiated when four consumers said the formulas gave their babies bacterial infections, and then escalated after two infants died consuming formula.
The issue worsened when the Food and Drug Administration shut down an Abbott Nutrition facility in Michigan, a major producer of baby formula.
The Abbott formulas were recalled after four babies who consumed them in Minnesota, Ohio and Texas contracted a Cronobacter sakazakii infection between Sept. 6 and Jan. 4. All four had to be hospitalized, and the bacterial infection is linked to the deaths of two infants.
Cronobacter infection is rare but is especially high-risk for newborns. It can cause severe sepsis, a life-threatening infection, or meningitis, an inflammation of the membranes that protect the brain and spine.
What stores are rationing baby formula?
Walmart, Kroger, CVS, Target and Walgreens have placed purchasing limits on how much baby formula you can buy. Walmart limited purchases to five containers, while CVS and Walgreens limited customers to three formula products at a time. Kroger and Target have instituted a limit of four baby formula products per purchase.
Here’s what retailers told the Star-Telegram:
- CVS — “Following supplier challenges and increased customer demand, we’ve added a limit of three baby formula products per purchase in our stores and online,” spokesperson Matt Blanchette said. “We’re continuing to work with our baby formula vendors to address this issue and we regret any inconvenience this causes our customers.”
- Walgreens — “Due to increased demand and various supplier challenges, infant and toddler formulas are seeing constraint across the country. Similar to other retailers, we put into effect purchase limits of three per transaction on all infant and toddler formula to help improve inventory. We continue to work diligently with our supplier partners to best meet customer demands.”
- Target — “We continue to closely monitor the industry-wide supply constraints of baby formula to help ensure product is available for our guests. We currently have some online product limitations in place.”
Where can I buy baby formula?
On Tuesday, the Target along West 7th Street had a few baby formula options, including: Similac Alimentum, Enfamil and Similac soy formulas, Similac Advance, Enfamil Reguline, and Similac 360 Total Care Advance.
Central Market on Hulen Street stocked Earth’s Best organic formula for $27.54 per container.
Tom Thumb on Hulen also had several cheaper options, ranging from $5 to $18: Similac Advance, Similac 360 Total Care Advance 6-pack, Similac soy formula, Similac Sensitive, Similac Alimentum, and Enfamil Infant NeuroPro.
Instead of directly purchasing baby formula containers, customers at Kroger on Berry Street pick up a card with the formula they want and it’s scanned at the register. Baby formula products available include Similac Soy Isomil, Enfamil NeuroPro, Enspire formula, Nutramigen Hypoallergenic formula, Gerber GentlePro, Gerber Extensive HA, and Nestle Nan Pro. Prices ranged from $18 to $51.
Albertsons on Alton Road kept most of its baby formula locked at the front of the store. You’ll find Enfamil NeuroPro, Similac Alimentum, Similac Advance, Similac 360 Total Care Advance 6-pack, Enspire formula, Nutramigen Hypoallergenic formula, Similac Organic, Happy Baby Organic Stage 2 Infant Formula and Enfamil soy formula.
The baby formula aisle at the CVS on the corner of 8th and Rosedale was mostly bare with a sign that says there’s a three-container limit. A few containers each of Enfamil NeuroPro, Similac Alimentum, Enfamil Reguline and Earth’s Best Organic Dairy Formula were available, and some had buy one get one half off deals.
Several brands of baby formula are available for delivery online at stores including Walmart, Target, CVS, Walgreens and Kroger. Amazon also sells a variety of brands, but be careful of price-gouging and fraudulent products; buy directly from the brand instead.
How are North Texans dealing with the shortage?
Dallas nonprofit Hope Supply Co. meets the needs of homeless and at-risk children across North Texas by providing necessities including diapers, wipes, hygiene kits, baby food and formula, clothing, school supplies and toys.
Dudley says the organization has been hit hard by the shortage in baby formula products since the recalls and they’re seeing an increased demand. The partner organizations that Hope supplies formula to, as well as organizations they don’t usually partner with, have been asking for more formula. Parents have also been reaching out saying they can’t find formula they need and seeing if they can get cans.
“Those are people that normally would be able to provide for themselves, but just can’t find the formula,” Dudley said.
Hope did have a little bit of trouble getting the products they needed at first, but now have a steady source of formula thanks to the Women, Infants, and Children Program of Dallas and Baylor Scott & White’s Faith In Action. Those organizations give extra cans that patients haven’t used to Hope, after checking the cans to make sure they’re not recalled.
The organization used to mainly carry Similac formula, but now they mostly distribute Enfamil products. Because a lot of parents prefer the former, the organization has been telling them that Enfamil is just as good with equivalent benefits.
What should I do if I can’t find the baby formula I need?
If the baby formula you need isn’t in-stock online or in-store, here’s what Dudley says you should do:
Reach out to your local WIC office: Texas WIC is working closely with WIC grocers to help make sure there are options for WIC families to purchase, a spokesperson said. They’ve temporarily added alternative options, available through the end of May, so families can find a formula at the store to meet their baby’s needs without updating their WIC card. If WIC clients cannot find the brands or sizes of formula currently written on their card, they can contact their local WIC office to update their card to a different can size or type of formula.
Reach out to your local nonprofits: While Hope itself doesn’t usually supply formula directly to parents, you can reach out to other nonprofits in your area. If they don’t have it, they might be able to reach out to another source like Hope to get it for you.
Try breastfeeding if you’re able to: Hope strongly suggests attempting to breastfeed if a parent is capable of doing so.
Don’t dilute formula: Don’t water down baby formula or underfeed your baby, as they won’t be able to get the nutrients they need, which can cause health problems. Also, don’t make homemade formula or give your baby cow’s milk, goat’s milk or other milk alternatives. Instead, breastfeed temporarily or try out an alternative formula.
Should I make my own formula?
The FDA advises parents not to feed homemade formula to infants because those recipes may lack nutrients vital to their growth and can be easily contaminated.
Instead, contact your child’s pediatrician for recommendations or samples. The agency said it’s received reports of hospitalized babies who had been fed homemade infant formula and then suffered from hypocalcemia, a condition in which the blood has too little calcium.
When will the shortage end?
“This is just a temporary situation,” Dudley said. “Right now it’s an issue, but probably here in three to six months, it might not be an issue anymore.”
How do I know if my baby consumed recalled formula?
Look out for these symptoms if you think your little one may have consumed recalled formula:
- Poor feeding,
- Irritability,
- Temperature changes,
- Jaundice,
- Grunting breaths,
- or abnormal body movements.
If your infant is experiencing these symptoms, contact their pediatrician to report his or her symptoms and receive immediate care.
“Recalled products can be identified by the 7 to 9 digit code and expiration date on the bottom of the package,” according to the FDA.
Products are included in the recall if they have all three items below:
- the first two digits of the code are 22 through 37 and;
- the code on the container contains K8, SH, or Z2, and;
- the expiration date is 4-1-2022 (APR 2022) or later.
Enter your baby formula’s number, located at the bottom of the container, on https://www.similacrecall.com/us/en/product-lookup.html to see if it’s part of the recall. If recalled, do not use it and follow the manufacturer’s instructions to get a replacement. You can exchange those cans for a refund at the store where you purchased them, or call the manufacturer at 1-800-986-8540.
If formula was not included in the recall, families can still use it. Many stores are getting new supply of Similac products that were not affected by the recall.
“The FDA is working with Abbott Nutrition to better assess the impacts of the recall and understand the production capacity at other Abbott facilities that produce some of the impacted brands. We are also working with Abbott on safe resumption of production at the Sturgis, Michigan facility,” the agency said. “As Abbott Nutrition was initiating its recall, the FDA intensified outreach to other infant formula manufacturers to inquire about their capacity and potential impacts. We will continue discussion with Abbott Nutrition and other infant formula manufacturers and consider all tools available to support the supply of infant formula products.”
Star-Telegram Reporter Megan Cardona contributed to this report.
This story was originally published April 22, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
