Two infants have been hospitalized after their parents were unable to find the right baby formula amid a nationwide shortage, even as the Biden administration blames hoarding parents and a “distribution problem” – not FDA failures or a supply chain issue – for why nearly 50% of the country’s formula inventory is missing from store shelves.
According to this, the two babies were admitted to the hospital in mid-May after their parents were forced to switch to a new baby formula after being unable to find their regular product.
Both children had “specific dietary requirements,” according to reports, and didn’t do well on the new formula.
“These are young children who have health conditions and special medical needs that have specific dietary requirements,” said Mark Corkins, division chief of pediatric gastroenterology at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, where both children were treated.
“Their bodies did not adapt well to the new formula type and they required treatment via IV fluids and supplemental nutrition,” he added.
Corkins said the formula shortage that’s forcing parents to substitute different formula in place of their child’s regular diet “can be a complicated and cumbersome process and is extremely difficult for parents to navigate on their own.” Widespread formula shortages have left tens of thousands of parents scrambling to find their child's normal food, a problem that's even more complicated for families with babies who have specific allergies or dietary needs.
Speaking to CNN earlier this week, Biden’s FDA commissioner, Robert Califf, insisted that “there’s formula out there,” blaming companies’ distribution channels for not getting formula to “the right place” before suggesting parents are hoarding formula and contributing to the shortage. Califf claimed formula inventory never dipped below 79% nationwide, contradicting reports from data analysts that suggest 43% of the country's baby formula is currently out of stock.