US President Joe Biden acknowledged Wednesday that “work remains to be done” to tackle the shortage of baby milk in the United States, as reactions to his administration’s handling of the issue continue.
“There is still work to be done, but we are making significant progress,” the White House said in a statement.
The US president estimated that it would take “a few more months” for the situation to return to normal during an event aimed at promoting an active response to the problem by the US government.
However, the event, which was attended by representatives of five baby milk companies (ByHeart, Bubs Australia, Reckitt, Perrigo et Gerber), did not have the desired result. On the contrary, he brought back to the debate the issue of the delayed reaction of the White House.
The United States has long had problems with baby milk supply due to the covid-19 pandemic. But the problem worsened in February following the recall of Abbott products and the subsequent suspension of a plant in Michigan.
On February 17, following the deaths of two infants, Abbot announced that it was “voluntarily recalling” all milk powder produced by its plant in Michigan, including Similac, which is used by millions of families in the United States, and suspended its operation.
The company, which controls 40% of the US baby milk market, was not invited to yesterday’s event. Authorities have reported that they found health violations at the factory that closed.
Biden himself said he was only informed of the problem in early April and then mobilized the government.
“Very serious incident”
“I do not think anyone expected the closure of a factory to have such an impact,” he said.
But the representatives of their companies denied it.
Robert Cleveland, Reckitt’s vice president, said he knew “from the beginning” that the closure of the plant “would be a very serious incident”.
Murray Kessler, head of Perrigo, also said he was quick to realize that the incident would cause “serious shortcomings”.
Empty shelves and the anxiety of parents, especially those infants in need of special milk, are a serious political problem for the Biden government.
The crisis is touching a sensitive chord for the president who assures that he is above all concerned with the daily lives of Americans, especially at a time when they are facing a rapid rise in inflation.
The 79-year-old Democrat admitted yesterday that “there is nothing more stressful than the feeling that you can not meet the needs of your child.”
The issue also paints a picture of an effective and capable White House that the US president’s advisers want to go through to highlight the current administration’s opposition to the chaos that has prevailed during the presidency of former President Donald Trump.
The White House announced in mid-May the creation of an air bridge to speed up imports of baby milk from abroad, a company called “Fly Formula”.
Yesterday, Washington announced that baby milk from Australia would soon arrive in the US – about 172 tonnes, which is enough for about 4.6 million baby bottles – and about 136 tonnes from Britain, the equivalent of about 3.7 million baby bottles.
At the same time, Biden activated the law on Defense Production, which dates back to the Cold War era, in order to provide the necessary ingredients to baby milk factories as a matter of priority.
The crisis has brought back to the fore the problems of the baby milk market in the USA, 90% of which is controlled by three companies, while it is closed to the import of milk produced by European companies.
SOURCE: AMPE
Source: Capital
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