Delaware families are still grappling with infant formula shortages, price hikes

After a bacterial contamination led to a massive recall of infant formula in 2022, parents faced widespread shortages and price hikes. Formula is still unaffordable for many new parents. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said in just the past year, the cost of baby food and formula has gone up more than 8%.

The First State is giving away the last of the infant formula it had ordered from overseas last year as part of an initiative by Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long to get the food to desperate parents unable to find it on grocery shelves.

That effort saw 44,000 canisters of formula shipped into Delaware from Australia last year. Parents in high-poverty areas were first limited to one 28-ounce can, but that limit has since been removed. There are about 12,500 canisters left, with statewide distribution points. This size canister can produce 20–24 bottles, Hall-Long said.

One of those distribution partners is the Food Bank of Delaware. CEO Cathy Kanefsky said that while supply has rebounded, scarcity is still an issue.

“If you don’t find it, call the Food Bank because we can make sure that we do have it,” she said at a Harper’s Heart event to raise public awareness of the state’s remaining cache of formula. “We do mobile distributions throughout the communities in Delaware as well. But again, we want to make sure that it’s not in a truck or on a shelf, it’s in your home.”

Abbott Nutrition voluntarily recalled several infant formulas in early 2022, leading to nationwide supply disruptions across the U.S. In a report issued by the Federal Trade Commission in March, the agency blamed the concentration of the market as a contributing factor. Abbott, Mead Johnson and Gerber controlled about 84% of the manufacturing of formula that year.

In a statement accompanying the report, members of the FTC said “families often have little choice when it comes to infant formula brands and can be highly sensitive to price hikes and supply disruptions.” There are also specialty types of formulas which can be more sensitive to supply changes because they help babies who have special needs, including digestive issues, allergies and metabolic disorders.