Vice President Kamala Harris recently addressed concerns about the country's current baby formula shortage in a social media post.
According to her May 12 Twitter post, President Biden has outlined "key steps" that would be implemented to help quickly restock baby formula.
"We're working to ensure that baby formula is safe and available for families nationwide — especially families that depend on specialty formulas," Harris said on Twitter. "Today @POTUS announced key steps to get formula on store shelves as quickly as possible."
So far, Biden has met with Wal-Mart, Target, Reckitt and Gerber to explore methods that would aid families affected by the formula shortages, according to a statement released by the White House May 12.
Abbott Nutrition, the largest baby formula manufacturer in the nation, recalled numerous brands of powdered formula in February after four children became unwell, which resulted in two deaths, the statement reported.
According to the release, Biden's measures for addressing the crisis include "cutting red tape" to streamline product production. Manufacturers generally make formulas of varied sizes, but Biden's proposal would require them to streamline manufacturing and provide just one size. This is intended to increase manufacturing efficiency and expedite the availability of formula on store shelves.
In addition, Biden intends to recommend the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general investigate and address any unfair pricing or market practices associated with the selling of baby formula, the statement reported.
He also seeks to boost the national formula supply by increasing imports, since U.S. customers buy 98% of the baby formula that is produced in the country, according to the White House statement.
In recognition of the manufacturing and distribution challenges that have resulted in a local shortage of baby formula, the FDA will soon disclose additional efforts it is taking to import formula products from other countries, as reported by the White House statement.
