Protect The Harvest | Baby Formula Shortage Impacted by Agriculture Supply Chain

Throughout 2022, the national inventory of infant formula has decreased each month causing substantial shortages. The reason for this significant drop is due to a complex series of supply chain issues going back as early as 2020 – from the dairy farm to retail shelves.

Over half of of U.S. babies receive formula for at least part of their nutritional needs during their first year of life. Infants six months and older can start receiving some nutrients via solid foods, but prior to that they must be fully reliant on formula or breastmilk.

Baby formula is unique in that it is an essential product to supply complete nutrition for babies. There are no substitutes due to the careful nutritional composition and tedious safety regulations. According to an article in Epoch Times, “The FDA has discouraged parents from making formula at home due to very serious health concerns for babies.”

The article goes on to state, “The potential problems associated with errors in selecting and combining the ingredients for the formula are very serious and range from severe nutritional imbalances to unsafe products that can harm infants,” the agency noted. Health experts even warn that too much water for infants under six months could trigger seizures and brain swelling and dilute the calories.

By now it is common knowledge that COVID-19 was the lynchpin for a lot of supply chain issues.