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Feds launch website to help parents deal with infant formula shortage

White woman preparing a bottle of baby formula
Anxiety among parents and caregivers is up, as could be expected, related to the baby formula shortage as a result of the recall of Similac, Alimentum, and EleCare. Read Abbott's recall notice. The US Department of Health and Human Services today launched Fact Sheet: Helping Families Find Formula During the Infant Formula Shortage. The website contains the following information:
  • Manufacturer hotlines
  • Community resources—such as calling 2-1-1
  • Information for WIC-eligible families
  • General guidance—such as contacting your pediatrician and following infant formula safety guidance (such as that on the USDA website on the formula shortage)
Partial map of USA showing status of WIC waivers

At the time of the recall, states requested waivers from the USDA to add flexibility to the WIC program. The agency complied, making three available:

  • Maximum Monthly Allowance: A waiver to provide administrative flexibility to exceed the MMA (and to issue multiple container sizes and physical forms) for infants in food packages I and II. (Note: waivers related to food package III are also being considered, on a case-by-case basis.) We believe that this waiver is a critical source of flexibility in all states as both retailers and manufacturers work to manage nationwide changes in supply, and we request that each state agency review policies to ensure full flexibility.
  • Medical Documentation: A waiver to provide administrative flexibility to allow for the issuance of noncontract brand infant formula without medical documentation for infants in food packages I and II.
  • Vendor Exchanges: A waiver to allow WIC authorized vendors to treat WIC participants like all other customers when they exchange recalled product at the store.

Virginia's WIC program was granted all three waivers February 20. This has created options for parents and caregivers. Learn more about Virginia's WIC-approved formula substitutions (PDF). Formula-related WIC updates will be made on https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/wic/.

Photo: A Woman Holding a Baby Bottle by MART PRODUCTION from Pexels

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