One year later, the baby formula shortage continues to plague families nationwide – and relief from the Biden administration is seemingly nowhere in sight.
BABY FORMULA STILL HARD TO FIND NEARLY A YEAR AFTER SHORTAGE BEGAN
FOX Business Lydia Hu spoke with pharmacy owner Anil Datwani, who issued a warning to parents that demand for formula is growing, while supply is dwindling.
"It's getting harder and harder," the AR-Ex pharmacy owner said, adding that "it's a struggle to find" Enfamil A.R., Enfamil Gentlease NeuroPro.
"[Mothers] go from one store to the next store to the next store" looking for these formulas, he explained.
The baby formula shortage began in February 2022, but despite reassurances from the Biden administration that they are working "around the clock" to alleviate the issue, the shortage continues to burden American mothers in March 2023.
BABY FORMULA SHORTAGE STRETCHES INTO EIGHTH MONTH
In an effort to take constructive action, House Republicans opened an investigation into the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) "poor response" to the mid-2021 baby formula shortage on Tuesday.
The House Oversight Committee wants to talk to former FDA official, Frank Yiannas, who was overseeing the baby formula crisis during its initial eruption last year. Yiannas shocked many when he resigned from the FDA, just earlier this year.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., sent a letter to FDA Commissioner Robert Califf requesting all the administration's communications relating to the shortage and its response. Califf announced in January that the FDA would not fire anyone over its response to the crisis.
FDA PROPOSES LEAD LIMITS IN BABY FOOD
Comer's letter references a review of the FDA's response by a third party, which found that the organization lacked urgency and motivation in responding to the shortage.
BABY FORMULA SHORTAGE: FDA RESPONSE REPORT CITES OUTDATED SYSTEM, TRAINING ISSUES
"Despite this report, and the acknowledged need for a major overhaul, you stated that there would be no reassignments nor firings over the administration’s response to the infant formula shortage," Comer wrote in the letter. "We request documents and communications to understand the FDA’s response to the infant formula shortage."
The Department of Justice has an in-progress criminal investigation into the maker of popular formula brand Similac, Abbott Laboratories, accompanied by the FTC and SEC who launched their own investigations on the matter.
Numerous lawsuits continue to be filed against Abbott Laboratories.
Fox News Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
