Mo News Premium: Baby Formula Shortage, Your Questions Answered

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Good morning,

Hope everyone is doing well.

In this premium edition of Mo News, we spoke to Mallory Whitmore, aka The Formula Mom, about the growing baby formula shortage in the United States. She talks about how we got here, when things might get better, and the emotional toll this is taking on new parents. She also gives practical advice for parents struggling to find formula for their kids. (One tip: try smaller pharmacies and Amazon instead of some of the big box stores.) A big thank you as well to the Mo News community for sending in your stories, pictures (above) and so many questions for Whitmore-- including ways to help!

🗞 But first, a few headlines before we get to the interview...

• ⛽ Gas prices have hit another record high, with the national average climbing to $4.37 a gallon, according to AAA. Prices are up 17 cents in the past week alone, and have jumped have 25% since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. ~ CNN Business

• When adjusted for inflation, gas prices would need to climb above $5.30 a gallon to break the records set in 2008.

• What's next: Andy Lipow, president of Lipow Oil Associates, told CNN on Sunday he expects retail prices will jump to an average of $4.50 a gallon in the next week to 10 days.

• 💵 Inflation: Later this morning the government will release economic data that's expected to show inflation-- while still extremely high-- may have already peaked and is now slowing down. ~ CNBCThe CPI report (due out at 8:30am ET) is expected to show inflation rose 0.2% in April over last month, or 8.1% year-over-year, according to Dow Jones. We saw a massive 1.2% increase in March from the previous month.Market impact: If the inflation data is in line or weaker than expected, it could temporarily soothe markets. On the other hand, if inflation is growing at a faster pace than expected, the Fed could be forced to take a tougher stance when it comes to raising interest rates.

• 🚀 Trump on Twitter: Elon Musk says he would let former President Donald Trump back on Twitter if his deal to buy the platform goes through. Musk says Trump's permanent ban "was a morally bad decision, to be clear, and foolish in the extreme." ~ NPRBackground: Twitter banned Trump after the his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, saying he violated the rules against inciting violence. However, Trump has said he will NOT return to Twitter even if he's reinstated. He launched his own copycat platform called "Truth Social."

🍼 Now to our interview with Certified Infant Feeding Technician Mallory Whitmore aka The Formula Mom. She created an online platform that provides education and support for formula feeding parents. Whitmore says she launched the Formula Mom in August 2020 after being disappointed and underwhelmed by the lack of high-quality, research-based, and judgment-free information about formula feeding on the internet.

We hope you find this interview helpful.

~ Mosh and Jill

[This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Jill spoke to Whitmore on Tuesday morning.]

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Jill Wagner: The latest data shows that about 40% of popular baby formula brands are sold out around the country. Certain areas are worse than others. Retailers are actually limiting the amount of formula that parents and caregivers can buy. I'm curious, you have built such a huge community of new parents, what are you seeing and hearing from them right now?

Mallory Whitmore: It's a lot of stress, a lot of panic. And, you know, as a parent, it's stressful enough trying to figure out how to exist with a newborn, how to feed your baby without the added stress of being unsure if you can find the food that you use for them. There's a lot of concern and also a lot of building outrage, that we're not seeing more media coverage, that we're not talking about solutions for this problem. You know, how is it that 40%, almost half of the stock of what we feed our most vulnerable Americans, how is it that that's just missing and no one's talking about it? There's a lot of concern, and there's a lot of concern about whether it's going to get worse.

JW: I want to start with how we got here. Why are we right now dealing with such a shortage of baby formula?

MW: There's really been a variety of events that have all led to this point. So late 2021, we started to see some minor shortages, maybe 10 to 15% out of stock. Typically we're looking at 95% or above in stock. So late 2021, we started to see a slight decrease [in supply], and that was related to the Omicron variant, the end of the Delta variant, and just the supply chain issues that we've been seeing across different markets, related to quarantining and a labor shortage. So we already had that in play. And then in February 2022, we had a very large recall, the largest formula recall in memory, the largest in decades, where Abbott, which is one of the largest formula manufacturers globally, pulled a huge portion of their stock off the shelves in a voluntary recall. And that was just a hit on top of an already existing problem. And as a result of that, a huge portion of the formula was just immediately removed from the shelves. And for good reason, they had reason to do this recall, but the combination of the existing supply chain troubles that we are facing and the recall and now the continued labor shortages, that we're seeing the continued increase in pricing, due to inflation, that's making some ingredients more difficult to source. All of these things put together have left us at this moment where the formulas just really getting hard to find.

JW: For my understanding---that plant in Michigan that issued the voluntary recall---not only do they make some of the most popular brands like Similac, but they also make a lot of specialty formula as well?

MW: They do. So they make hypoallergenic formula and amino acid formula, which are very important for infants and children, and even some adults that are medically fragile that have metabolic disorders, that have very significant food allergies and other digestive complications where they're unable to tolerate food by mouth or standard cow milk based formulas. And so we're seeing a really serious concern for some of those very most vulnerable people that rely especially on formula for tube feeding, that really don't have other options. It's not an option for them to go to the grocery store and just pick up something else due to their more significant needs. There's really a lot of concern in that community right now.

JW: One of the biggest questions that we've been getting is, is there a light at the end of the tunnel? When do you think that we might see things starting to pick back up again?

MW: Truly, it's hard to say, at this point. That very large manufacturing facility in Sturgis, Michigan has been closed for three months. We do not have a tentative date for when the FDA may authorize them to resume production. We do know that the formula manufacturing cycle takes about eight weeks. So even if they would start today, we wouldn't see an increase in product on the shelves for another two months. And we don't know that they're going to start today. All indications is that they will remain closed for a while longer. So I know that other manufacturers are trying to pick up the pace in order to fill some of the need, but they're just capacity limitations across the board.

JW: Is there anything that the government is doing or should be doing?During the height of the pandemic, the government, under the Defense Production Act, got involved in making ventilators. Is there anything that the government can do to just encourage these companies to ramp up production?

MW: That's a great question. We have not seen a lot of movement from the government to address this issue. The biggest thing that has been helpful is that they authorized WIC, the Women's Infant Children Supplementary Assistance Program to allow families that use WIC to purchase alternate products. So for example, in the state of Tennessee, where I'm from, Similac is the only authorized WIC provider. And so obviously, Similac is not available right now. And so the US government has allowed different states to reimburse for different products. So that has been helpful. But we haven't seen a lot of movement in encouraging the FDA to do a faster investigation. We have not seen any movement in providing resources for these other manufacturers to increase their supply. And that's been causing a lot of frustration for parents.

JW: Mallory, I've spent a lot of time on your Instagram account, partly for research purposes to prep for this interview, but also because I myself am seven months pregnant right now, and I'm going to be dealing with this issue like so many other parents. You have four strategies that you laid out for parents who are struggling to find their preferred formula, can you walk us through them?

MW: Yeah, absolutely. First and foremost, I always encourage parents to talk to their child's pediatrician. If you have concerns about what you're feeding your baby about their nutrition, sometimes infants may have specific needs if they have allergies, or if they're premature. So always talk to your pediatrician first. After that your biggest strategy is going to be looking at the ingredients on the back of the formula that you have been using, really paying attention to the protein type and the carbohydrate source that's in your baby's formula, and trying to find a formula that's similar. After that, there are a couple of options that you can do to sort of flex and wiggle if you can't find something similar. Number one, look for a store brand alternative. Store brand formulas are safe, they're highly regulated, they meet all the same FDA requirements as name brand and they tend to be more available. A lot of parents don't know that the store brand formulas are all manufactured by the same company, which means that the recipes are the same store to store. So your Target Up and Up Gentle Formula is the same as your Walmart Parent's Choice Gentle formula. And that really expands the pool of stores that you can look at for your specific formula. So look at store brand options. You might want to consider changing the type of formula from powder to ready to feed or ready to feed to concentrate formula. If you're unable to find the kind that you're typically using. And then after that, look at family and friends. See if anybody has samples. Talk to your pediatrician, they often have samples. Talk to your family and friends that are out of state see if they could provide any formula for you that way. And just it's a lot of networking right now. A lot of networking.

JW: On that note, I know that you created this Formula Exchange Board. Can you tell us a bit how that works?

MW: I, like so many other parents, have felt sort of helpless in terms of how to make this better for families. I don't have an infant anymore. My youngest is almost three. And so I just I felt the need and wanted to do something to help. And I do have a large platform. So I created this Formula Exchange Board, which has lists according to brand and type a formula where parents can post either their need or what formula they have access to, and connect with other parents so that they can ship or deliver drop off depending on location, formula to folks that are in need.

JW: We're also hearing from parents and others who don't necessarily have kids on formula right now but just want to help. Is there anything that they can do?

MW: Yeah, I would encourage folks pay attention to your neighborhood community boards, your Nextdoor app, if there's a moms group for your city or town for your community, if there are places where young parents tend to hang out either in person or online, check in, because everybody's talking about this within the young parent community. And so you're going to be able to quickly see what the needs are in your local community and see if you have access to help.

JW: Why do you think that the government isn't more on top of this? There may be a handful of members of Congress who are young parents themselves who are now sort of sounding the alarm. But the HuffPost just came out with a piece saying a lot of Congress members hadn't even heard that there was a shortage. Why do you think that is?

MW: There's a lot of concern and a lot of outrage building about parents feeling like they aren't being heard that that noise recognizing how big of a problem this is. I think there's also a sense of exhaustion in the parent community-- of why do we have to be the ones to bring this, to make a big enough statement that they'll notice because, you know, obviously parents are tired, especially over the last two years. I think the intersection of this situation with what we've seen with the COVID pandemic can't be overstated, especially with regard to the recall. We know the FDA has been absolutely bogged down with drug approvals with testing approvals. We know that they stopped their inspections of these infant formula facilities in 2020 as a result of the pandemic. And so I think a lot of what we need to see is just a reevaluating of priorities now that we're hopefully, knock on wood, entering a more stable period in the pandemic, to how do we go back and make sure that these other priorities are addressed appropriately.

JW: It's such a good point. It certainly was not lost on me as a parent of a young daughter, and now also pregnant, the last couple of years has just been so incredibly difficult in general, collectively for everybody. But parents of young kids, I think have been hit particularly hard. What are you hearing in terms of the stress factor, the emotional toll that this is taking on on parents right now?

MW: Yeah, it's really, really difficult. There is a lot of guilt and shame among parents who feel like the decision to formula feed, whether they felt like it was a choice or not, was the wrong decision. And of course, that's not something that you can walk back easily. Especially, you know, if you have an older infant. So there's that, in addition to just the time associated with trying to source your formula, driving to three different stores. We've got parents that are driving out of state trying to find their formula. And so it's just adding a huge layer of stress and expense. With increased gas prices for some of these families with inflation and the cost of formula itself. It's really impacting many areas of these parents lives.

JW: Alright, I want to get to some of our reader questions. A lot of people who are pregnant right now wrote in asking, should they be stocking up on formula at this point? And if they made the decision to do formula, do you recommend they rethink that and maybe give breastfeeding or pumping a try?

MW: Yeah, that's a great question. So for the first point, no, I do not recommend stocking up for two reasons. Number one, we know that hoarding increases pressure on the supply and makes it more difficult for families that need formula. Now, number two, it can be really difficult when you're pregnant to know what sort of formula your baby will tolerate. And I don't want to risk that parents end up with a huge supply of formula that they spend a lot of money on, but their baby won't drink. So I recommend having a week's worth, maybe two max, if you're expecting, and then that'll give you enough time as well, to see what your baby will tolerate. You can go from there. So that's to the first part of your question.

JW: And then, in terms of just this idea of you mentioned the guilt, I went through it myself. It's very real, unfortunately, in terms of formula feeding versus breastfeeding. If somebody's on the fence, do you think this is something that would encourage them to try breastfeeding or pumping?

MW: Yeah, it's a difficult question. I have two kids, I have said, if we have another, I will never attempt to breastfeed again, because I just know that it didn't work for me. However, if I was expecting right now, I would likely rethink about that decision. And ultimately, what I'm encouraging my parents and my followers to do is to really pay attention to their mental health, and really assess which option they think is going to be less stressful. I have always said breastfeeding is stressful. For me, it's not something that I want to do. However, even though it's stressful for me, it might be less stressful than the concern about whether I'm going to be able to find my baby's formula. So I'm really encouraging folks to think through the pros and cons of where their stress meter might be. In that situation is definitely worth considering. If it's a possibility for you, if it aligns with, your family's needs with whatever you're doing for work and maternity leave and everything else, if it's workable, I think it's worth considering.

JW: We also got a lot of questions about European formula like Hipp or Holle. Do you think they're going to be impacted as well? And what do you think about European formula in general? The FDA has pretty tight regulations around it. Do you think it's possible that that this shortage might have them rethink that?

MW: Yeah, it's a great question. Generally speaking, I think European formulas are a great option. I know that they're really life saving for some families. The challenges that we see with European formulas, especially right now, are related to that supply chain. So one of the biggest risks of using European formula is that you just don't know the safety during transport and storage. So you don't know the temperature, you don't know how the formula is stored while it's being shipped. You don't know how long it's going to sit at customs and under what conditions. And so that continues to be a risk especially as the supply chain continues to be slow as we're getting things in. In fall 2021, the FDA had a very large crackdown on the import have European formulas. They were destroying a lot of shipments at the border and customs. And so you also run the risk of that-- you just don't get what you paid for. And so that is a concern. But given the shortages that we're seeing domestically, a lot of parents are starting to weigh that risk differently. And also [thinking], 'I don't know that I can go to the grocery store and find it anyway.' So where's the risk there? I do think there's also sort of a shifting tide amongst parents of 'Can I trust the FDA' based on what they saw with the recall, based on what they perceived to be the FDA's slow movement on the recall. It was four months from when they got the first report of infant illness before the recall happened. And so there are some parents that are saying, you know, okay, the FDA doesn't approve European formula. I'm not sure I care.

JW: We got a question as well about Israeli formula, which apparently can't be imported, but is in some kosher supermarkets already. Any insight there?

MW: Yeah, if you can buy it domestically, I think that's totally fine. If you're going to import it, just be aware, again, of those same challenges about trying to get it in quickly, paying for expedited shipping if you can. Making sure that your boxes aren't damaged in transit, that they're not dented or ripped. And just making sure that you understand the directions, especially if they're not printed in English, the mixing directions.

JW: Another question: Is it safe to make your own formula?

MW: No. And we're seeing a very large increase in the amount of chatter on Instagram and other places on the internet about making your own formula. And I absolutely understand the desire behind it, it feels like a way parents can take back control. But it is not recommended. It's very, very difficult to create a product at home that meets the very specific nutrient needs of infants. And you also have the bacterial contamination concern if making a product in an unsterile kitchen. And so we do not recommend homemade formula in any circumstance. If you feel like you are in an absolutely dire situation, I encourage you to talk to your pediatrician or a pediatric dietitian about what you can come up with for your infant.

JW: Are there any other alternatives to feeding their baby if they can't find formula?

MW: Some toddler formulas are nutritionally appropriate for infants. Check the nutrient facts on the back. Some of them do meet the FDA nutrient requirements for infants. Kabrita and Baby's Only are two brands that I know off the top of my head that are marketed for toddlers, but are appropriate for infants. Some infants over the age of 10 months may be able to transition to whole milk or a milk alternative. Always talk to your pediatrician before you do that. So there are those other options there, especially as your infant is getting older and approaching one year and eating more solids.

JW: A parent of a seven month old asks, and I think this is a question a lot of parents probably have right now, if she can't find her brand, is it okay to switch to a different brand and then switch back?

MW: Yeah, it's typically fine as long as the baby tolerates it. So as long as you've tried the second brand, you're not seeing any increase in digestive symptoms, you know, rash, mucus in the stool, anything like that, that would indicate a problem. If your baby tolerates that you can absolutely alternate. You can even combine in the same bottle two different brands.

JW: Another person says they give their baby Similac. Is there something similar to Similac? I know that's one of the most popular brands and impacted by the recall.

MW: Yeah, absolutely. I would recommend this--look at those store brand alternatives. A lot of the store brand alternatives are very similar in composition to Similac. Costco and Sam's Club, their Kirkland and Member's Mark brands respectively, are very similar if they have access to that.

JW: We've been hearing at Mo News that a lot of Targets have had a really a big shortage. Are there any retailers that are doing better with the formula shortage right now?

MW: Yeah. Generally speaking, pharmacies seem to be doing a little bit better than grocery stores.

JW: Like a CVS or Walgreens you mean?

MW: Yes and even specialty and sort of hometown family owned pharmacies. A lot of them have the ability to order formula, so you can talk to your local pharmacist, see if they can order you some. Amazon tends to have a pretty good stock. I know when I spoke with Similac several weeks ago that they were prioritizing shipments to Amazon just because of Amazon's ability to get it everywhere versus, you know, individual chains.

JW: And a lot of people are asking, 'Is it safe for them to ship formula?' So if just say someone's in New York, they found formula in the store and they need to send it to family in Tennessee, is that safe?

MW: It is, with a couple caveats. As long as you package the formula well, so that you're going to reduce the risk that it's going to be damaged in transit. We don't want the formula to be dented or torn, or have any visible damage, so package it well. And then make sure that you're paying for expedited shipping so that it's not sitting in a hot truck for you know, five days, two weeks. So if you're doing overnight or priority, and you're packaging it well, and the recipient is getting it off their porch and into, you know, a temperature controlled location. Yes, it can be safe.

JW: And my last question, I know I asked this already. But again, the light at the end of the tunnel. Do you think it's gonna get much worse? Or do you just think it's not going to get better right away?

MW: Yeah, I, I hope that it's not going to get worse. It would be, I think we would have to see another sort of unprecedented event, in order for it to get worse, although we're kind of accumulating those unprecedented events right now. Hopefully we're at the end of the road. I don't think it's gonna get worse. I do think it's gonna get better as we know that these other manufacturers are increasing their capacity. And so we should in a couple of weeks, see the results of them increasing the capacity now.

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