Nearly three in four babies in the United States will consume infant formula sometime in their first year. For parents of these babies, 2022 was a challenging year. On Feb. 17, Abbott initiated a voluntary recall of certain infant formula powders produced at their Sturgis, Mich., plant. It wasn’t until late August when Abbott restarted infant formula production at their plant. A second Abbott recall occurred in October, this time for certain ready-to-feed liquid formulas, due to a problem with sealing of the bottle caps.
As of this writing, store shelves remain sparsely stocked, and many stores are limiting purchase quantities. Current supply shortages may be due to hoarding, rather than production issues.