Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Out of Formula: Why did it Happen?
PJ Media ^ | 06/02/2022 | John Stossel

Posted on 06/01/2022 7:10:33 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

Parents still struggle to find baby formula.

The left and most media (sorry, same thing?) blame “corporate power run amok.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says, “There might be a need for indictment!”

They blame Abbott Laboratories, because it shut down a Similac plant. The Food and Drug Administration says unsanitary conditions led to deaths of two infants, but Abbott denies that its formula recall had anything to do with those deaths.

In any case, one factory closure doesn’t normally cause massive shortages.

My new video gives the real reason for the formula shortage.

First: bans on imports. There’s plenty of formula on supermarket shelves in Mexico and Europe. Normally, American companies would just buy that and ship it here.

But they can’t, because of several destructive government policies.

“The dairy industry in the United States has a really long history of lobbying the government and achieving protection,” explains Cato Institute trade policy specialist Scott Lincicome.

That “protection” includes fat tariffs on formula from overseas and outright bans by the FDA.

There was a gray market where people were getting around these rules. “American parents enlisted third-party sellers to obtain European infant formula,” says Lincicome.

Boxes of formula arrived, but customs won’t let American parents have it. They’ve “been seizing European baby formula shipments at the border, much like a drug seizure,” says Lincicome.

Why are imports banned? For safety, says the government, but formula is often banned for stupid bureaucratic reasons.

“If you have the wrong scooper, banned!” says Lincicome. “If you don’t list a certain ingredient that the FDA demands, you’re banned!” If ingredients are listed in the “wrong” order or aren’t listed in English, the food is banned “even if a third-party retailer provides you with the English translation.”

(Excerpt) Read more at pjmedia.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: babyformula; bloggers; shortage
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-23 next last

1 posted on 06/01/2022 7:10:33 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

The U.S. dairy industry lobbied very hard for these rules that provided them essentially a captive market. They’re not going to give that up easily.

Well, well, well.... Because of the shortage, our government has now approved imports from one British company. They also launched “Operation Fly Formula,” which flies formula here in military planes.


2 posted on 06/01/2022 7:11:36 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

One thing is certain - if Trump were in office the story would be all his fault - totally his fault.

But because it’s a Democrat in office the story is all about hand wringing and wondering how these things can happen and poor Biden is just as perplexed as we are.


3 posted on 06/01/2022 7:17:01 AM PDT by Skywise
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

There is a shortage because that is what the Biden administration wanted.


4 posted on 06/01/2022 7:18:22 AM PDT by Cold Heart
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

“Why are imports banned? For safety, says the government….”

Funny!


5 posted on 06/01/2022 7:19:05 AM PDT by Carthego delenda est
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

The formula industry married itself to government. Goodbye motivation and innovation.

And parents are okay with the arrangement, as long as the product is on the shelf.


6 posted on 06/01/2022 7:22:49 AM PDT by lurk (u)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind
Out of Formula: Why did it Happen?

Allow me to answer in the most concise manner possible...

GOVERNMENT!!

7 posted on 06/01/2022 7:23:32 AM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom (Wanting to make America great isn’t an insult unless you’re trying to make it worse! ULTRAMAGA!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Comment #8 Removed by Moderator

To: Skywise

“One thing is certain - if Trump were in office the story would be all his fault - totally his fault.”

If Trump were in office this wouldn’t even be an issue!


9 posted on 06/01/2022 7:26:23 AM PDT by ProudVet97
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Carthego delenda est

RE: Funny!

Yep, and really sad and pathetic.

Because of the shortage, our government has now approved imports from one British company. They also launched “Operation Fly Formula,” which flies formula here in military planes.

But these responses are pathetic. They pick up only the few bottles made in FDA-approved facilities, and then they waste time re-inspecting it on arrival.

They want make sure the formula is safe is the reasoning. This would be a legitimate concern if it were infant formula from China. But the largest producer of formula is in Europe.

Maybe the European product isn’t as safe? It’s exported all over the world. But we can’t have it because the FDA is extremely jealous of its regulatory authority.

Here’s the other reason: Government limits on competition.

America’s food stamp-like program, WIC (it stands for women, infants and children) , grants exclusive licenses in each state to just one company. Like all welfare programs, WIC has grown. It now buys half of all baby formula in America.

Abbott Nutrition grabbed most of that market by offering government the lowest price. Good for them. But after Abbott’s recall, there were few alternatives for parents to turn to.

It’s going to take weeks for Abbott to get manufacturing up and running again because they’re going to need FDA clearance.


10 posted on 06/01/2022 7:26:32 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind
Re: "one factory closure doesn't normally cause massive shortages"

The Abbott factory produced 40% of the USA supply.

The USA market for baby formula is actually quite small - less than two million - so, the domestic competition is minimal, especially since the production costs are very high.

11 posted on 06/01/2022 7:28:43 AM PDT by zeestephen
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Carthego delenda est

Baby formula is just one of the shortages caused by the Traitorjoe kakistocracy in their efforts to bring an economic and social collapse to the United States. Look for shortages in gasoline, electricity, food, medical supplies, law enforcement, access to bank accounts.

What will be in excess is declared martial law, when the collapse occurs.


12 posted on 06/01/2022 7:30:12 AM PDT by Carl Vehse (A proud member of the LGBFJB community)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: ping jockey

I thought birth rates were down in America... why is there now a shortage?

Now is the key word.


13 posted on 06/01/2022 7:31:58 AM PDT by Celerity
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Celerity
why is there now a shortage?

There never were shortages before we learned that men could get pregnant!

14 posted on 06/01/2022 7:43:08 AM PDT by spankalib
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Maybe Biden has been using it himself instead of Ensure?


15 posted on 06/01/2022 8:14:15 AM PDT by Reno89519 (FJB. Respect America, Embrace America, Buy American, Hire American.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

This is a good reason not to get dependent on your meat coming from vat produced meat mega factories.


16 posted on 06/01/2022 9:33:51 AM PDT by Cold Heart
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Skywise

If Trump was in the office, there would be no shortage of formula!
He would address the problem right away and solve in no time!


17 posted on 06/01/2022 9:45:28 AM PDT by AZJeep (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0AHQkryIIs)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind
Boxes of formula arrived, but customs won’t let American parents have it. They’ve “been seizing European baby formula shipments at the border, much like a drug seizure,” says Lincicome.

Ivermectin

18 posted on 06/01/2022 10:09:56 AM PDT by Pollard (If there's a question mark in the headline, the answer should always be No.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Pelosi would be indicting someone at the FDA. The months-long unnecessary shutdown of the plant is the responsibility of the FDA, not the company.

It was known very soon after the investigation started that the pathogen responsible for illnesses was not found in the factory. The shutdown should have been ended immediately.

It wasn’t reopened. Why did the FDA keep the plant closed for no reason? They knew that there was no problem in the manufacturing facility.

So who kept the plant closed, and why? I can’t believe it was an oversight or forgetfulness, it was deliberate, why?

If we had any kind of media in this country that was worth anything, those are the questions they would be asking.


19 posted on 06/01/2022 12:11:51 PM PDT by susannah59 ( )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: susannah59

If we had any kind of media in this country that was worth anything, those are the questions they would be asking.
_____________________

We have no media worth anything.

We have no government worth anything.

We have no justice worth anything.

We have no elections worth anything.

We have no borders worth anything.

Regulations are simply weapons of convenience.

Can we just ignore all of them and build back on the local level?


20 posted on 06/01/2022 2:48:15 PM PDT by reformedliberal (Make yourself less available.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-23 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson