Look at this real picture from the
triad's up and down store aisles
triad parents with infants keep
running into the same problem.
There is just not enough baby food to go
around because of a nationwide shortage.
One mom in Greensboro says she's
really feeling the pressure.
It's definitely frightening, you know.
Yesterday morning, I actually spent
about an hour and a half going
around town trying to find formula.
I went to two Walgreens to CVS a
Food Lion and ALDI and a Walmart
before I could find anything.
Sarah Simpson has a 6 month old.
She says she's finding formula turning
into a major stressor to get around it.
She said she tries to load
up whenever possible.
You know now I'm trying to
stockpile so that I'm not having
to do this on a regular basis.
The cans that I am finding
that we can use are small,
so they may last like 3 days.
So I do definitely need to get,
you know, several cans to have on
hand just for when we run out again.
Things are getting so extreme.
The American Academy of Pediatrics
has loosened their recommendations
to make sure babies get fed.
Now parents can give whole cows milk
to babies as young as six months if
they don't have special health needs.
The AP stress this is not ideal
and should not become routine.
It also said follow the guidelines for
children one year or older and don't
give your baby more than 24 ounces a day.
The organization says you can even switch
up the normal formula used to another safe.
Option if you have to.
So the advice during a crisis situation is
different than under normal circumstances,
so parents really need to find
an FDA approved formula that
is appropriate for their child.
So if you have a child that doesn't
have food allergies or special
health needs by the formula that
you can find on the shelves,
and if that means you have to switch
every couple days, I'm OK with that.
I think we really have to balance
adequate nutrition with safety right now.
She says you should never resort
to diluting your baby's formula.
That's just not safe.
We're already seeing the
consequences of the shortage.
Two babies had to go to the hospital
because their parents could not
find the formula they needed.
Now Congress wants to take action and
make sure everyone can feed their infant.
The FDA reached an agreement with Abbott,
which makes the specific
formula to reopen its plant,
but it could take two months for
supplies to hit store shelves.
In the meantime, House lawmakers
are prepared to vote on a bill
that would make it easier for low
income families to get baby formula
WIC recipients utilize formula at
a rate double most other people.
In this country, about 50% of our
babies rely on the WIC program.
For for milk, the legislation would authorize
the USDA to waive rules so that WIC
recipients could swap one brand of
formula for another and they would
be exempt from the maximum monthly
allowances currently in place.
We're giving them the flexibility and
we want to make that permanent that
they can purchase what is available,
safe and available lawmakers are
also launching an investigation
into how the FDA has handled
the oversight responsibilities.
Especially over the Abbott plant at
the center of the formula crisis,
the chips should fall where they may.
People have to be accountable whether
it is at FDA or whether it is at Abbott,
the Abbott plant in Sturgis,
MI, was shuttered in February
due to bacterial contamination.
Recalls happen, but this company has lied.
It's cut corners, it falsified
records to cover up misdoings
at the sake of infant health.
Republicans are also criticizing
the Biden administration response.
And it should have acted quicker to
get more formula on store shelves.
The head of the FDA plans to testify
on Capitol Hill tomorrow to discuss
the next steps for that agency.
Until then, the federal government
has launched a site to help you
find formula W if money's Lauren
Coleman shows you how you can find
it and what it can do for you.
It's super easy. Go to
hhs.gov/baby formula.
You'll find a bunch of
different resources that
can help you find formula.
If you're really running low,
you can click this link.
It takes you to an urgent
product request form.
If your doctor thinks you're
really in an emergency,
they can sign off on the
form to get you product.
So parents say they can't find any
formula on Amazon in the United
States but one person online said
all you gotta do is change your
location to Canada. To fix that.
We verified if that's the right
move and if that's even safe to do.
A tip from a Twitter user claims
changing your location on Amazon from
the United States to Canada will allow
you to order formula, so let's verify.
Will Amazon Canada ship baby
formula orders to US parents?
Our sources are Amazon,
the American Academy of Pediatrics
and Doctor Jennifer Light Dale,
pediatric gastroenterologist at UMass
Memorial Children's Medical Center,
and a member of the American
Academy of Pediatrics.
According to Amazon,
customers can't purchase baby
formula products from the companies
Canada based website if they're
sold and or shipped by Amazon.
So verify tested the social media
claim by trying to purchase a baby
formula product that was sold and
shipped by Amazon through amazon.ca.
We tried to ship it to an
address in Washington state,
but it didn't work.
We received an error message
stating that the item could not be
shipped to the selected address.
There is a loophole though.
Third party sellers whose items
aren't fulfilled by Amazon can
ship the order directly to you,
but medical experts caution parents against
buying formulas internationally at all.
Pediatric gastroenterologist.
Doctor Jennifer Light
Dale warns parents that.
Quote the formula that you're buying
from overseas is just not regulated.
The way we're used to formula being
regulated here in the United States UN quote.
In addition to concerns about less
stringent regulations overseas,
the American Academy of Pediatrics
has also expressed concerns
that imported formulas may not
be shipped or stored correctly,
so we can verify no.
Amazon Canada will not ship Baby
formula orders to US parents.
Another solution, parents are trying
just making your own at home.
Well, Novant Health doctor cannot
make it any clearer. Don't do that.
It is not safe to make your own formula.
There are several reasons that go along
with that. One of the biggest is just
the risk factor of not
mixing it correctly.
She says if you're not mixing
the formula the right way, well,
babies could be given too much
or too little of something.
This could cause problems
with brain development,
weight gain and digestion.
You know what happens every
single time we see some kind of
shortage over on the sidelines.
Some horrible person is standing
there waiting to rip you off.
As families across the country struggle
with the baby formula shortage,
North Carolina Attorney General
Josh Stein says stay on alert
folks are out there buying vast
amounts of it and then reselling it
on Amazon or Facebook, charging a
huge markup that is against
the law in North Carolina.
Stein says it doesn't matter if a
store or a random person does it.
If someone price gouges,
his office will investigate the Better
Business Bureau has a warning too
look out for scams on social media.
It says you might see an ad or get a message
from someone saying they have formula.
The person then asks you to
pay them through PayPal, Venmo,
Facebook pay, something like that,
but the formula never gets sent.
You should check out any potential
seller on the BBB website to
make sure it's legit first.
As we wrap up,
I want to address some straight up,
disrespectful comments we've seen
on Facebook time and time again,
some people are responding like this,
discrediting the struggle of
a lot of parents right now,
saying they just should breastfeed.
Instead.
Listen, it's not that option
and not an option for everyone.
It's not that simple,
and bullying a mom about that is not cool.
Remember,
there might be more to someone's
story than you see on social media.
Let's try to be nicer to each other,
especially.
There's so many are struggling right now.