(PresidentialWire.com)- The ongoing nationwide shortage in baby formula has become so chronic in recent weeks, that retailers are limiting purchases and Republican lawmakers are demanding that the Biden administration take steps to mitigate the problem.
As of April 24, retailers throughout the country were reporting that 40 percent of the top-selling baby formula brands were out of stock. That was a 9-point increase from April 3 when only 31 percent were out of stock and an 11-point jump from November.
Supplies have been so scarce that last month many major retailers began limiting the number of products customers are permitted to purchase.
In April, drugstore chains Walgreens and CVS placed a 3-item limit on formula products. Target, meanwhile, began limiting purchases to four items at a time.
And with the shortages in supply come the inevitable price increases. The average cost of baby formula has increased as much as 18 percent in the last 12 months.
The shortages in baby formula are related to the supply chain crisis that erupted last year. But the shortages were compounded by a major baby formula recall in January.
In six states, over half of the baby formula products were out of stock by the end of April. In Iowa, South Dakota, and North Dakota, parents are dealing with severe shortages of 50-51 percent of supplies. The out-of-stock levels in Missouri, Texas, and Tennessee are even worse, at 52 percent, 53 percent, and 54 percent respectively.
Another 26 states are facing out-of-stock levels ranging from 40-50 percent.
For months now, the Biden administration has ignored what has now become a full-blown crisis.
Remember last fall when Jen Psaki mocked the supply chain crisis, joking that it was “the tragedy of the treadmill that’s delayed.”
.@PressSec makes light of supply chain issues, laughing about "the tragedy of the treadmill that's delayed." pic.twitter.com/bQdKyCRskb
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) October 19, 2021
Nearly three-quarters of babies born in the United States receive baby formula within their first six months.
Parents not being able to find baby formula for their children isn’t a laughing matter.
This week, Senator Tom Cotton described the shortage as a “national crisis.” In a tweet on Monday, the Arkansas Republican said the FDA has to explain what it plans to do to “get production restarted” and demanded that the Biden administration start taking this crisis seriously.
