The FDA “threw the ball” at the baby formula crisis in the country – closed an important plant in addition to withdrawing products and then failed to warn parents of the consequences, experts told The Post on Friday. Desperate mothers and fathers have been searching stores across the country in search of baby formula since mega-manufacturer Abbott issued a seizure of safety products in February for products made at its Sturgess, Michigan plant due to fears of contamination. The Food and Drug Administration later closed the plant after federal inspectors discovered Abbott failed to maintain sanitation and procedures there – causing a cascade of crippling effects on the supply chain. “Someone, whether it’s Abbott or the FDA, had to realize, ‘We’re shutting down one of a handful of baby formula factories and the consequences,'” William Marler, a food safety attorney, told The Post. “That’s where the FDA and Abbott dropped the ball. … They could download the product without closing the facility. They remember all the time without closing the facility. ” Manhattan mother Amy Daly, 38, of the Upper West Side, complained on Friday that she was forced to remove her 11-month-old baby Alice from breast milk early when the shortage struck.
Former FDA Associate Commissioner Peter Pitts has accused the agency of failing to warn parents about a shortage of formula. Paul Hennessy / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images
“People are desperate. … This is a real crisis. “Mothers need it,” she said. “The administration needed to know that the shortage was coming and did something to prevent it – or at least give mothers more warnings,” said Daly, standing at a playground one block from Duane Reade with her baby formula shelves. they are now completely naked. On Friday, President Biden, who was criticized for tackling the crisis, said only “better thought readers” could be more effective than his administration and the FDA in dealing with the difficult situation.
Former FDA Associate Commissioner Peter Pitts said the agency had been aware of the shortage of babies since February. Center for Medicine in the Public Interest.
His frivolous comment came a day after the White House announced that it would finally begin clearing the way for imports of formula from abroad – a few months after the plant closed. “Some products come from abroad, but the bureaucracy in the United States is preventing much-needed supplies,” Wall Street Journal author James Freeman said in an article Friday. “Every time this issue comes up in the news series, all Biden Biden and his Capitol Hill allies are doing is calling for more business investigation.
“Now the president wants the Federal Trade Commission to look for evidence of rising prices, and Democrats in the House of Representatives want testimony from formula manufacturers. How about an FDA investigation and letting people who can get infant formula feed hungry newborns? “Peter Pitts, a former FDA associate commissioner and current head of the Center for Public Interest Medicine, told The Post. that the agency “knows that this shortage situation will happen.
“They have to have educated parents, give them advance warning, let them know how to prepare,” he said. “The result was that one day the parents went to the store and the shelves were empty – and panicked. “The White House can’t handle that,” Pitts added bluntly. Outgoing White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki was no more helpful than her boss when asked on Friday how long the shortage is expected to be a problem. “It’s a really important issue, but it’s difficult for us to make an assessment,” she said. She even said at a briefing on Thursday that the FDA had taken the right steps all along because “there were babies who died from taking this formula.”
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki says the Biden administration has seen no warning signs of a baby formula shortage. EPA / Oliver Contreras / POOL
Abbott categorically denied that any of the products in his factory had killed babies, much less made them ill. FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Calif tweeted Friday that the government’s efforts to help other companies increase production and increase imports from abroad should alleviate shortages within a “matter of weeks.” But company chief Perrigo , which produces baby formulas from Walmart and Amazon, told Reuters on Friday that it expects the shortage to continue the “balance of the year”.
Parents are desperate to find any baby adapters available during the shortage. Christopher Pierce / Getty Images
Abbott insisted he could resume production at his closed plant “within two weeks” after the FDA approved approval to restart operations. After the closure, Abbott said he shipped millions of boxes to the United States from an FDA-registered facility in Ireland and gave priority to infant production at his plant in Columbus, Ohio. Various industry experts said the crash of formula could have been avoided if the government had clear leadership and a “specialized food agency.”
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki waves goodbye after her last briefing on May 13, 2022. EPA / Oliver Contreras / POOL “People are desperate. … This is a real crisis. Mothers need it, “New York mother Amy Daly told The Post. Kevin S. Downs for The New York Post
“The whole situation could have been done with a sense of urgency when you look at the people who are consuming this product,” said Mickey Baum, CEO of STOP Food Borne Illness. Baum added that the delay was a reflection of “system dysfunction” that does not protect public health.
“Most of the FDA’s funding goes to drugs and devices, and the agency’s food business is severely underfunded and lacks clear guidance,” Baum said.
FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Calif promised that the shortage of formula will improve “in a few weeks.” Kevin Ditch / Getty Images
Hal King, managing partner at Active Food Safety LLC, a consulting firm for the food industry, added: “I’m not blaming the FDA, I’m blaming the government. “We need a specialized food agency,” King said. “FDA to FDA. communication with the public and the company’s communication with the public was too slow in informing people that there was food in the system that made people sick. “Getting things off the shelves is good, but it doesn’t tell people about the products they might have in their homes. This process has been disrupted. “
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