[CNN] FDA is ‘working around the clock’ to address baby formula shortage, Psaki says

CNN is giving low marks to the Biden administration's "Operation Warp Speed" for baby formula:

On hold for 72 minutes and apologetic customer service representatives: Testing out resources from the Biden administration's new website for parents looking for baby formula

https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/16/politics/baby-formula-testing-biden-administration-resources/index.html

excerpt:

(CNN) The Biden administration is confronting a barrage of questions and criticism for the national baby formula shortage that has anxious and angry parents hopping from store to store in search of baby food.

The White House was unable to point to federal guidance last Thursday on what parents struggling to find formula should do, and recommended that families reach out to their doctors and pediatricians if they were worried about their babies' health. Then on Friday, it unveiled a new website: HHS.gov/formula.

"We recognize that parents have a lot of questions," then-White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters. The new website, she said, is aimed at providing "resources and places that parents can go to obtain formula, including contacts with companies, food banks (and) health care providers."

The webpage lists contact information for a number of baby food manufacturers including Gerber, Reckitt and Abbott -- the company at the center of the major recalls dating back to February that prompted the nationwide shortage. The site also points families to resources like local food banks, links to the website for the national nutrition assistance program known as "WIC," as well as the American Academy of Pediatrics, and offers general safety guidelines. (No, you should not water down formula or try to make it at home.)

A CNN reporter tested out some of those resources to try to determine how helpful they are likely to be for parents who are desperately looking to procure baby formula. The exercise resulted in apologetic customer service representatives, one hold time that lasted well over an hour, and serious challenges in finding baby formula through some of the main suggestions listed on the new HHS website.

Abbott's consumer hotline: 'No, we do not (answer questions by phone)'

We first tried calling the 1-800 consumer hotline for Abbott, the baby formula manufacturer behind brands like Similac and EleCare. Formula made at the manufacturer's Michigan plant was connected to infant illness and deaths, and it could be many more weeks before the plant is producing formula again.

An automated message stated that information about Abbott's recall can be found at Similacrecall.com, which doesn't appear to have too much information other than recall notices dating back to February. When a representative got on the phone, they too, told us that the Abbott website would have "the most up to date information."

Are they able to answer any questions over the phone? "No, we do not," the representative said.

Bottom line: the Abbott hotline does not appear to be a sure-fire way for parents to get their hands on baby formula.
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more at the link

 

Abbott agrees to consent decree with FDA, could restart plant within 2 weeks, pending court approval

https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/16/health/abbott-formula-shortage/index.html

 

I'm not saying anything other than ATW's point was about over-regulation

 

the President is getting serious

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing...w-actions-to-address-infant-formula-shortage/

FACT SHEET: President Biden Announces New Actions to Address Infant Formula Shortage
MAY 18, 2022•STATEMENTS AND RELEASES


During the infant formula shortage caused by Abbott Nutrition’s voluntary recall, the President has directed his team to do everything possible to ensure that there is enough safe infant formula in the country and available for families that need it.

Today, President Biden is announcing additional actions to get more formula into the United States and onto store shelves.

• Invoking the Defense Production Act. To ensure that manufacturers have the necessary ingredients to make safe, healthy infant formula here at home, President Biden is invoking the Defense Production Act (DPA). The President is requiring suppliers to direct needed resources to infant formula manufacturers before any other customer who may have ordered that good. Directing firms to prioritize and allocate the production of key infant formula inputs will help increase production and speed up in supply chains.

• Launching Operation Fly Formula. To speed up the import of infant formula and get more formula to stores as soon as possible, President Biden has directed the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to use Department of Defense (DOD) commercial aircraft to pick up overseas infant formula that meets U.S. health and safety standards, so it can get to store shelves faster. DOD will use its contracts with commercial air cargo lines, as it did to move materials during the early months of the COVID pandemic, to transport products from manufacturing facilities abroad that have met Food and Drug Administration (FDA) safety standards. Bypassing regular air freighting routes will speed up the importation and distribution of formula and serve as an immediate support as manufacturers continue to ramp up production.

Earlier this week, FDA and Abbott agreed on next steps to reopen Abbott’s facility in Sturgis, Michigan, which was closed due to concerns about bacterial contamination after four infants fell ill. FDA also announced guidance that will allow major formula manufacturers to safely import formula that is not currently being produced for the U.S. market. The Administration continues to urge states to cut red tape and implement WIC flexibility, as USDA wrote to states in a letter last week. The Administration remains in close touch with manufacturers and retailers to identify transportation and logistical needs to increase the amount and speed of FDA approved formula being shipped into the country, and ensure that formula is quickly moving from factories to retailers.

Today’s steps further underscore the Administration’s commitment to addressing the formula shortage quickly and safely, and the Administration will continue working overtime to get more formula to stores as soon as possible.



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