White House directs FDA to import more baby formula amid nationwide shortage

infant formula shortage continues, President Joe Biden announced steps Thursday that the federal government will take to try and ease the shortfall.According to the White House, the government will make it easier for companies to import formula from overseas, push states to crack down on price gouging, and temporarily relax some of the product requirements for WIC users.The shortage is the result of a variety of factors, including pandemic-related manufacturing and supply chain issues.

But it has been exacerbated by a safety recall that followed the deaths of two infants.Back in February, the Food and Drug Administration warned consumers to avoid some powdered baby formula products from a Sturgis, Michigan, facility run by Abbott Nutrition, which then initiated a voluntary recall.

According to findings released in March by federal safety inspectors, Abbott failed to maintain sanitary conditions and procedures at the plant.Abbott said in a statement that the recall involved four complaints about an environmental bacteria found in infants who consumed formula from the plant.

Two infants became sick, while two died. "After a thorough review of all available data, there is no evidence to link our formulas to these infant illnesses," the company insisted.Grocery store shelves where baby formula is typically stocked are locked and nearly empty in Washington, DC, on May 11, 2022. (Photo by STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images) Abbott said that pending FDA approval, "we could restart the site within two weeks." The company would begin by first producing EleCare, Alimentum and metabolic formulas and then start production of Similac and other formulas.