Supply chain disaster! Baby formula vanishes from store shelves

 SOURCE:

https://www.wnd.com/2022/05/supply-chain-disaster-baby-formula-vanishes-store-shelves/

"America's supply chain for various products has taken multiple blows from COVID circumstances since the pandemic surged. Sometimes products simply aren't to be had. 

Then when a specific market stream is further complicated by a recall, it gets worse. And for parents who are feeding their newborns formula, sometimes a specific formula, when the store shelves are empty they have few options.

 

That's the situation facing parents in America today, according to a Daily Mail report, which quoted the mother of a five-month-old saying, "An entire month [there] was nothing … nothing online, nothing in stores nearby."

"I can get Amazon delivered to my door, but I can't feed my son. It's absolutely heartbreaking," Nicole Brown told News 5 Jacksonville, according to the report.

Some watchers were observing prices explode. A recent survey found 40%-50% of the top-selling baby formula products were out of stock across the country, and Jill Bradford, a Virginia mother of a 5-month-old girl with medical needs, said the specific products she needs are gone.

"We've called the WIC office," Bradford told WTVR, according to the report. "We've called Thrive, which is a supply company. We've called every hospital system in the state. I've contacted personally, every Kroger, Walgreens, Walmart and CVS within the tri-cities area"

She said she was able to find eight cans,
which normally sell for about $43 apiece,
online for $800.

The problem first surfaced, apparently, over supply-chain issues, but then turned worse just weeks ago when Abbott Labs recalled certain products under the Alimentum, Similac and EleCare brand names. That was because several infants contracted an infection that can cause meningitis, including one who died.

The report said national retailers now are limiting customers to just three products per purchase. CBS reported an official for Walgreens the chain is limiting purchases because of demand and "supply" issues.

The report noted, "In six U.S. states, more than 50% of formula was out of stock as of late April. Parents in Iowa, South Dakota, and North Dakota are grappling with severe shortages of 50%-51%, according to Datasembly. Out-of-stock levels are even higher in Missouri (52%), Texas (53%), and Tennessee (54%). At the same time, between 40%-50% of baby formula products were out of stock in 26 states."

Fox News documented how one Kentucky family resorted to calling 911. Mother of five Shannon Bird said, "We moved to Kentucky to raise a family. Never did I think I would have a problem finding food for my baby in America."