Senator Murray and Congresswoman Schrier Host Call with Food Banks and Local Mother Impacted by the Infant Formula Shortage

Statement

U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, Pensions Committee, and Congresswoman Kim Schrier, M.D. (D-WA-8) hosted a call with Washington state food banks and a local mother to discuss the impact of the infant formula shortage, and Senator Murray's continuing work to get answers and action for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Abbott and infant formula manufacturers. The event followed a hearing, led by Senator Murray, where she pressed FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf on the agency's delay in inspecting the Abbott facility after reports of contaminated formula, demanded answers about why actions to mitigate a formula shortage have taken so long, and urged Dr. Califf to do more to ensure parents have up to date information to find formula in their area.

"As a mother and a grandmother, I know parents won't rest easy until there is formula back on shelves and until they can feed their kids. I want all of you to know that I will not rest either," said Senator Murray. "I am not going to let up until we fix this, and until you all have the resources you need. We are all hands on deck here to help parents in Washington state however we can."

"This is an extremely distressing time for parents with infants and parents-to-be. Most babies, even those who are primarily breastfed, rely on formula. And baby formula, in many ways, is more like medicine than food, since there are no substitutes and babies younger than 6 months rely on formula for their nutrition. Yesterday I participated in the Oversight Subcommittee hearing with FDA and Abbott Nutrition to find out more about how this shortage came to be and how we can prevent it from happening ever again," said Congresswoman Kim Schrier, M.D.

"A mother deserves to enjoy every moment of her baby's growth without having to worry about how to feed her baby the next day," said Ines Santos, a mother from Bonney Lake, Washington. "A baby has the right to be happy, healthy, and have formula to be fed."

"The Bonney Lake Food Bank is committed to providing our community with a safety net due to the devastating impacts of COVID and beyond. We see the impact first hand as our community members navigate one challenge after another," said Stacey Crnich, CEO of the Bonney Lake Food Bank. "Formula shortages continue to amplify the compounding impact on a population that is already experiencing significant challenges. When members in our community are trying to meet basic needs like food and housing, their entire life is spent addressing this. It becomes a full time job for them to survive. This is not what we want for our communities, our families, and our children."

"Back to February when the recall was announced, we ended up throwing away ~1,000 lbs of formula, which was completely devastating. Since then, we haven't had any of the preferred formula but parents are sharing their stories of going from store to store, city to city, looking for formula and resorting either to switching formula or looking to platforms such as Next Door to purchase breast milk from neighbors," said Carmen Smith, Executive Director of the White Center Food Bank. "As an essential service organization, we are often a pretty reliable option for families and it's hard whenever we can't be there for the community in the ways they need us to support them, especially when it is a service we have provided consistently in the past. We hope a solution that is accessible for all families will develop, so parents don't have to make stressful decisions on how to feed their babies and can just enjoy being a parent and bonding with their child."

"Being able to feed our infants and babies safely is foundational to healthy families," said Michele Roberts, Assistant Secretary of the Prevention and Community Health Division at the Washington State Department of Health. "As we continue to support WIC families in maximizing their access to formula substitutions and alternatives, we are also involved in efforts to ensure that a shortage like this does not happen again."

"Northwest Harvest applauds the swift action taken by Congress and the Biden Administration to pass legislation that prioritizes access to infant formula for WIC families. WIC serves half of all babies born in Washington. WIC has been proven effective in reducing infant mortality rates, improving maternal mental health, and improving health outcomes for infants and young children," said Christina Wong, Director of Public Policy & Advocacy at the Northwest Harvest food bank. "While the shortage is rooted in production and recall problems that we still must collectively resolve, we thank Congress for prioritizing the most vulnerable victims of the shortage who have the most significant barriers to finding and buying what formula is available at retailers."

Senator Murray has been following this issue and pressing for answers from early on. In February, Senator Murray sent a letter with Senator Casey demanding answers from Abbott Nutrition as it recalled infant formula, and she continued to press the issue when inspection reports revealed troubling practices at Abbott's facility. Senator Murray has repeatedly pressed the FDA on its delayed response to concerns about food safety at Abbott's facility.

Most recently, Senator Murray led her colleagues in pushing infant formula manufacturers to step up and produce more formula to address the national shortage--and in calling on the White House to assign a coordinator to address the formula shortage and implement a national strategy. Last week, the Senate voted unanimously on the Access to Baby Formula Act, which will help ensure families can use WIC benefits to get the formula they need without restrictions during this crisis, and was signed into law by President Biden.

Families impacted by the infant formula shortage can find resources here from the Washington State Department of Health.

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