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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I sort of feel like this is a Fox News talking point.  I've seen formula on the shelf at Target, Safeway, etc.  It might be a problem if you are looking for a particular/brand type, but I don't know that there is an ability to get baby formula in general. [/quote]

So OP posts about a very real formula shortage (I was in Walgreens the other day and they had signs up) and all you can do is respond by saying it’s a Republican talking point. Just because the republicans are trying to score political points by bringing up the formula shortage (democrats would have done the same) doesn’t mean there is no actual shortage. Your response is indicative of all that is wrong with this country. You are a truly disgusting human being. By the way Jen Psaki addressed the formula shortage in her recent press conference.[/quote]

Funny - we brought up food shortages (you know the things 95% of the population survives on?), empty aisles, and high grocery prices for months. And the response from people like you was 'Shop at ALDI or your local farmer's market'.

Well here's a solution for you - order online from Canada or Europe. I've heard the European formulas at least are a much higher standard anyway.[/quote]

Honestly, comparing formula out of stocks to food supply chain bumps is ridiculous. Adults and older kids have a wide variety of things they can eat. Maybe you couldn't get your preferred brand of cereal or strawberries were prohibitively expensive, but it has never been a question of not having anything to eat.

This back and forth sniping has got to stop. I'm extremely liberal and this formula shortage is terrifying. We are seriously going backward - at an increasing pace - on basic standards of living for developed nations. I saw the stats yesterday and nationally it is over 40% out of stock. In my area of Texas, it is over 50%. And shortages beget shortages. This is a major issue and there needs to be something done besides leaving it to the industry to solve. [b]The federal government needs to step in with production-boosting incentives and resources.[/b] [/quote]

The manufacturing plants have been going 24/7 since Covid started. The problem isn't a lack of will to produce products, its not having the people to do it with.

1 million - so 1 in 330 Americans - died of Covid. They're gone. Not coming back.

Half the workforce dropped out for fear of illness or a need to take care of sick family members.

On top of that the government paid the able-bodied young working age population with dependents ridiculous levels of stimulus checks and child tax credits so they didn't need to work either.

So now its hard to find workers. I walked by a regular fast casual place that was offering $200 cash bonuses for work last night. You can give production incentives all you want but there's a shortage of everything from chicken-processing plant to formula factory workers these days.[/quote]

No that’s not just the problem. It goes deeper. It’s structural. The formula industry is dominated by four major producers - Enfamil, Similac, gerber and one producer that produces all the generics. It’s also a supply chain issue - very hard to get the raw materials needed to make formula. This is also structural - has to do a lot with how production is structured here. This is not a democrat or Republican issue, but a major issue with the US economy. Things go well when things are fine. But when things are not, then everything starts to collapse. We are about to have an extremely difficult year. You will feel like you are in a so called third world country. We will all be affected. God help us all. I come from Lebanon so I have experience.[/quote]

+1. Limited inputs all around, lack of workers in the formula business is probably the smallest component. Having an entire factory out of service because it’s a criminally disguising mess is a huge deal when you have so few plants to begin with.

Women don’t want to hear this, but we really need to get as many people breastfeeding as possible to take the pressure off for people who absolutely can’t. There is a moment here for lactation consultants to step up and reach out into areas with terrible breastfeeding support infrastructure. When I had my kids, I had my choice of instantly available, low cost breastfeeding support. It wasn’t easy and the support made all the difference. When my family in a third tier city had issues, there was nothing and they gave up and switched to formula right away. These were people who wanted to breastfeed but didn’t have the tools. Other people stop because they don’t understand there are things they can do to make their own milk more tolerable for tender tummies.

I believe fed is best. But supply chains are all over the place right now and nothing is going to be easy or convenient. The government can’t solve this systemic problem overnight. Moms have to take charge.

[/quote]

You need to address the lack of paid parental leave before pushing breastfeeding.  [/quote]

Every bit helps. If you can nurse for your six week unpaid leave, do it. That’s RTF formula you don’t have to buy. But let’s not pretend most MC and UMC moms are heading right back to the office immediately after birth. The convenience calculation for formula has changed and no amount of wishing is going to change that right now. [/quote]

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