We are working to make infant formula safe and accessible to families across the country. If you can’t easily find a formula, the following resources can help:
Connect with community resources
- Find your nearest Community Action Agency (CAA). The CAA in your neighborhood may be able to provide you with formula or connect you to local agencies that have formula in stock.
- Call 211: United Wii’s 2-1-1 connects you to a community resource expert affiliated with United Wii who may be able to help you find pantries for food and other charitable sources of local infant formula and baby food.
- Find an accredited milk bank through the North American Human Milk Banking Association (HMBANA) that distributes donated breast milk to distressed mothers. Keep in mind that some may require a prescription from a medical professional.
For families eligible for VIC
Instructions for parents and guardians
- Call your doctor or pediatrician to see if they have samples in the office or if they can suggest a similar formula that might be more readily available in stores and that is nutritionally similar to your child’s typical formula.
- Do not dilute the formula, try to make the formula at home or use the formula for small children to feed the baby.
- Do not reject a formula unless it has expired or is part of a recall.
- Check the batch code of your formula to see if the recall affected it or not.
- Find more instructions from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Manufacturer’s telephone lines *
* Since parents and guardians across the country have questions, you may have a long wait. We understand that many products from these manufacturers are currently sold out in stores and online. These manufacturers work overtime to meet demand, and service representatives will be able to help identify products when stocks are full.
The steps we are taking
We work day and night to address shortages and help families access baby formulas. Federal actions include:
- The administration referred to the Law on Defense Production, which puts American formula manufacturers in the first place to get the resources they need to increase domestic production.
- The administration is working with other countries to obtain more formulas on the shelves and is coordinating with the US Department of Defense, the US Department of Health and Human Services and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to transport the formula from other US countries.
- As part of the Permanent Prohibition Consent Agreement negotiated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. District Attorney’s Office for Western Michigan with Abbott Nutrition, Abbott agreed to take corrective action to allow him to continue production at the Michigan plant and get more formulas on the shelves.
- When production at the facility continues, Abbott will first focus on special formulas for babies with metabolic and other needs.
- The FDA meets regularly with major infant formula manufacturers who are working to maximize their production to meet new requirements. Read more about FDA actions.
- USDA Food and Nutrition Service has granted an exemption from certain VIC regulations to VIC agencies across the country so that they can take urgent action to ensure that VIC participants can exchange their revoked baby formula and use VIC benefits to purchase products that have not been withdrawn.
About scarcity
To address the lack of infant formula after Abbott Nutrition voluntarily withdrew certain infant powder formulas, the Biden-Harris administration is working to ensure that infant formula is safe and available to families across the country. President Biden spoke with retailers and manufacturers, including Walmart, Target, Reckitt and Gerber, to discuss ways to put more formulas quickly and safely on store shelves. He also announced a series of actions, including cutting red tape over the types of formulas parents can buy, calling on the Federal Trade Commission and the chief state prosecutor to combat price increases and unfair market practices, and increasing the supply of formulas by increasing imports.
Thanks to these efforts, manufacturers have increased production by 30-50 percent, bringing total production today above pre-recall levels with various combinations of products and sizes now available on the market. However, it is clear that too many families continue to face challenges in obtaining infant formula — especially families of about 5,000 babies, as well as some older children and adults with rare metabolic diseases that depend on special formulas.