Baby formula shortage leaves parents searching for hours

Pediatrician Dr. John Zaso says he has never seen a bigger shortage of baby formula and says there need to be a government regulation, especially for the children with allergies who needs specialty formula.

News 12 Staff

Apr 21, 2022, 2:26 AM

Updated 968 days ago

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Some parents are growing concerned as baby formula is becoming harder to find at some stores.
Pediatrician Dr. John Zaso says the shortage started around a month ago when Similac had to recall some baby powder formula because of a potential contamination in their factory.
That incident sparked supply chain issues, which has left parents scrambling to feed their babies.
Farmingdale resident Tara McCullagh has been struggling to find formula for her baby, Dylan.
"Nothing on Long Island, nothing online, no Amazon, Target, Walmart," McCullagh says. "Zero. Nowhere."
She says she drove around three hours on Easter looking for something, and when she does find a formula, it's overpriced.
McCullagh had to throw a lot of formula away on Feb. 1 due to the Similac recall.
"It's so sad, I can't imagine a mother with twins or triplets," McCullagh says. "You see it every day on social media, people begging for formula."
Zaso says he has never seen a bigger shortage of baby formula and says there need to be a government regulation, especially for the children with allergies who needs specialty formula.
"This is where the Food and Drug Administration needs to step in, and the government and basically get production up and running," Zaso says. "We're doing it for other things, they're not takin this as seriously as they should."
Zaso says if you find your baby's formula or a suitable substitute, stock up as much as you can.
He says if a child does not have a medical allergy, a generic can be used. However, if a child needs a specialty formula, the brand name has to be found.