Four companies, including Abbott Nutrition, manufacture 90% baby formula in the United States. An Abbott Nutrition manufacturing plant closed in February after a recall. Add that to supply chain issues, and parents are now frantically searching for formula.
Politico senior food and agriculture reporter Helena Bottemiller Evich explains how the shortage could have been prevented, and how politicians on each side of the aisle are assigning blame.
“We’re hearing a lot more debate on Capitol Hill about the extent to which Washington should look at how consolidated this industry is. Is it resilient to have such a concentrated industry? If you have one plant that has an issue, it can cause an incredible amount of disruption,” Evich says.