Jeff Mason, Susan Heavey, and Trevor Hunnicutt

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) –The U.S. President Joe Biden met with representatives from retailers and manufacturers of infant formula on Thursday. Target Walmart (NYSE 🙂 and Nestle’s Gerber urged them to take all measures to provide access for families in a time of national shortage.

Additionally, the White House described the measures that the Administration is taking to resolve the problem and indicated it would consider invoking Defense Production Act.

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) will announce new steps in the coming days regarding importing certain infant formula products from abroad, the White House said, and Biden has asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to probe reports of predatory conduct such as price gouging.

Datasembly estimates that about 40% of the country’s baby formula stocks are out of stock due to shortages caused by a factory going offline.

Formula is essential for families. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2020 Report Card on Breastfeeding found that less than half of American babies were exclusively breastfed for the first three months.

Biden met with executives to discuss production increases and asked companies to do more for families to purchase formula, Jen Psaki, White House spokesperson said.

Psaki explained that “what we’re seeing is hoarding, which is an immense problem.” This is another area we have our eyes on.

Biden stated later on Twitter (NYSE : ) “I am announcing new activities and working with private sector to get formula in stores as fast as possible, without compromising safety.”

Further, the supply of formula was in short supply. Abbott Laboratories In February, (NYSE:), following complaints from consumers about bacterial contamination, it recalled Similac, as well as other baby formula, made in Sturgis, Michigan. Later, the FDA cited five cases of bacterial infection in infants who were exposed to company formula. Two deaths have been reported.

Abbott, the largest U.S. milk formula supplier, claimed that one of the bacteria strains found at the facility could not be linked to infant diseases. However, it was improving its cleaning procedures and protocols.

Reckitt Benckiser, Nestle SA (SIX), and Nestle SA (2:) are other important formula producers.

Target Corp. (NYSE:), CVSHealth Corp. (NYSE:), and Walgreens Boots Alliance. Have limited their purchase of formula until stock levels improve. This is to stop hoarding. Letitia James, New York’s Attorney General has also warned against price gouging.

The U.S. House of Representatives will hold a hearing about the issue on May 25, [L2N2X322B]

Nancy Pelosi, House Speaker, told reporters that lawmakers are determined to prevent it from happening again. “But right now, the baby is crying and the baby has hunger, so we must address this situation immediately.”

Rosa DeLauro (House Appropriations Committee Chair) requested an investigation by the Department of Health and Human Services. This was based on a whistleblower report dated October 2021.

The House Republicans criticised the Biden administration on Thursday and said that a plan needed to be in place sooner to deal with the shortages.

Abbott stated that Sturgis could be restarted within two weeks after FDA approval. It also said that it prioritized production at Columbus, Ohio and the air-shipping of formulas from Ireland.

On February 17, the company issued a recall.

FDA warned babies whose formula was made in Michigan of Cronobacter and Salmonella Newport infection on Feb. 28. Abbott stated that the FDA had completed inspections of this facility on March 18 and that they would respond on April 8.