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Baby formula shortage: Doctor provides advice for parents
Baby formula has become scarce on store shelves as the U.S. now faces more shortages amid supply chain backlogs.
The baby formula shortage continues to worsen as baby formula makers and the head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continue to face bipartisan grilling on what led to the national crisis.
For the week ending May 22, the out-of-stock rate for baby formula rose to 70% nationwide, according to recent data by retail data firm Datasembly. It's a significant increase from the week prior when the national out-of-stock rate for baby formula stood at 45%.
BABY FORMULA SHORTAGE: OUT-OF-STOCK RATE HITS 45% NATIONWIDE IN MAY
Shelves are empty at a grocery store during a baby formula shortage in the Brooklyn borough of New York, the United States, on May 24, 2022. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua via Getty Images)
In February, Abbott temporarily shuttered the plant and issued a recall for some of its formula after the FDA detected positive samples of a rare-but-dangerous bacteria in multiple parts of the plant.
FDA Commissioner Robert Califf was questioned by lawmakers again on Wednesday during a congressional hearing on why the agency took months to inspect and shutter the plant despite learning of potential problems as early as September.
WASHINGTON, D.C. UNITED STATES - APRIL 28: U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf attends a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on April 28, 2022. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua via Getty Images)
FDA staff began zeroing in on Abbott’s plant last fall while tracking several bacterial infections in infants who had consumed formula from the facility. The four cases occurred between September and January, causing hospitalizations and two deaths.
The FDA planned to begin inspecting the plant on Dec. 30, according to Califf’s testimony. But Abbott warned that about a dozen plant employees had tested positive for COVID-19 and requested a delay. As a result, the FDA didn’t begin its inspection until Jan. 31.
ABBOTT RECALLS SIMILAC, OTHER BABY FORMULAS AFTER 4 REPORTED ILLNESSES.
A woman shops for baby formula at Target in Annapolis, Maryland, on May 16, 2022, (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
The agency hasn't yet reached a conclusion on whether bacteria from the plant caused the infant infections, although Abbott has said there is no direct evidence linking its products to the illnesses.
Abbott Vice President Christopher Calamari apologized to house lawmakers during questioning on Wednesday, although he skirted questions about whether employees were disciplined or fired over the problems at the plant, which included standing water, a leaky roof and damaged equipment.
A cellphone photo shows a woman shopping baby formula at a Walmart store in Rosemead, California, the United States, May 13, 2022. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua via Getty Images)
"We let you down," said Calamari. "We are deeply sorry."
FOX Business' Breck Dumas and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
LINK: Get updates and more on this story at foxbusiness.com.