Baby Formula Shortage Fuels Misleading Partisan Claims
Quick Take
A shortage of baby formula has provoked misleading partisan claims that suggest President Joe Biden is responsible for the “bare shelves.” But the shortage has been caused by a recall and plant shutdown by a major manufacturer and ongoing supply-chain issues due to the pandemic.
Full Story
Baby formula has become increasingly unavailable in the U.S. over the last 10 months, reaching an out-of-stock rate of 43% for the week ending May 8, according to data collected by Datasembly.
That rate had remained below 10% from the beginning of 2021 through July, and rose sharply after a product recall in February by Abbott Nutrition, according to the data.
Although the problem had been building for some time, it became politicized in the last week, a plan on May 12 for what his administration will do to address the shortage.
