Parents in need of baby formula have confronted barren store shelves across the country in recent weeks, a supply chain problem that has become a full-blown crisis.
For some babies, formula is their sole source of nutrition, and some need specialty formulas, meaning they can't be substituted like many of the other consumer goods that have seen shortages in the past year.
How did this happen?
It's complicated, much as politicians are grasping for a clear villain. Industry consolidation, trade policy, and plain old supply chain woes have all played a part.
But the shortage was supercharged by Abbott Nutrition's February recall of Similac, Alimentum, and EleCare brands after reported cases of cronobacter infection in four infants.
The company shut down its plant in Sturgis, Michigan, and since Abbott is one of only a few firms that make almost all of the formula in the U.S., the shutdown had a huge impact on supply.
The federal government goes to great lengths to make sure people have formula; low-income moms enrolled in the Women, Infants and Children program use the vouchers to buy up half the formula sold across the country. Abbott and its peers contract with states to be the sole formula eligible for the program in a given state, offering significant rebates in return.
The government heavily regulates formula production, so it's nearly impossible for an upstart company to jump into the industry, and high nutritional standards block most imports. The scale of the domestic industry has been beneficial for low-income families.
Some commentators have suggested these well-meaning "big government" policies caused the shortage. Some Republicans have grossly complained that undocumented immigrants and Ukrainians are wrongfully siphoning off supplies.
Some Democrats have shaken their fists at Abbott.
The company said there's "no evidence" the plant actually caused the infections because inspectors found different strains of cronobacter at the plant than the ones that sickened the kids. Inspectors also found water leaks, puddles, debris and equipment in disrepair. Clearly, there was a problem there.
The government isn't off the hook. The FDA did not inspect the plant at all in 2020, and its inspection last year didn't find any significant issues. Then, after cronobacter infections were reported in September, the FDA didn't visit the plant again until January.
Peter Pitts, a former FDA associate commissioner, suggested to me that better FDA oversight could have ensured better work by Abbott. And he questioned President Joe Biden's slowness in naming an FDA commissioner. But he still blamed the company.
"People keep asking who's to blame here and the answer is Abbott," he said.
