The House of Representatives Audit Committee announced that it plans to open an investigation against the four big baby food manufacturers and will seek answers to questions about how to increase production to overcome the food shortage.
“Baby food shortage is a crisis for American families,” the commission said on Twitter.
Commission Chairperson, Democratic House of Representatives Carolyn Maloney wrote to four manufacturers, Abbott Nutrition, Mead Johnson Nutrition, Nestle USA and Perrigo, to learn more about the baby food shortage.
The letter said, “The baby food shortage across the country threatens the health and economic security of infants and families. Especially low-income families who have historically been exposed to food insecurity and inequality in health services.”
The investigation, which will also examine whether there were any attempts to raise prices, is Washington’s latest step towards solving its baby food shortage.
Leading baby food maker Abbott Laboratories pulled some infant formulas, including Similac brand products, from the market in February, after some infants consuming the formula were infected with bacterial infections.
Added to the baby food shortage are supply chain disruptions and historic inflation. According to data firm Datasembly, 40 percent of baby food products are unavailable in the US.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) 2020 Breastfeeding Report reveals that less than half of babies born in the US are exclusively breastfed for three months after birth.
President Joe Biden met yesterday with executives and retailers of baby food companies to demand that they do everything they can to ensure families have access to the formula.
Brian Deese, director of the White House National Economic Council, said some manufacturers have ramped up production for weeks, with officials focused on looking for ways to get baby food to grocery and drugstore shelves faster.
Brian Deese said on CNN television that retailers conveyed to President Biden that “the most important step right now is to give retailers flexibility in the types of baby food they can sell.” According to Deese, retailers also emphasized the importance of providing flexibility in the types of food that consumers can buy with food coupons under the Women, Babies, Children (WIC) program, which especially benefits low-income families.
Deese said the White House will reissue today’s guidance for states to be more flexible to make it easier for consumers to purchase formula in February, when baby food was first taken off the market.
The White House reported yesterday that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will announce new steps in the import of some baby food products in the coming days. President Biden also instructed the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate reports of an attempt to raise prices.
Deese did not have an estimate of how long the baby daddy shortage would last; “All these steps will allow us to make progress. This problem will not resolve itself in a day or a week,” he said.
Two more committees in the House of Representatives announced that they will open an investigation into the baby food shortage.