The agents for Abbott Similac baby formula and SMA baby formula, Jolly’s Pharmacy, have announced that they are adequately stocked with baby formula, easing concerns that Dominica may be impacted by the ongoing shortage of baby formula badly affecting the United States.
Families across the U.S. are struggling to find infant formula as supply disruptions during the pandemic and recent recalls perpetuate a widespread shortage of formula. The problems are largely tied to Abbott Nutrition’s Michigan formula plant, the largest in the U.S., which has been closed since February due to contamination problems.
“While we remain very concerned about this shortage affecting the US, I must assure the Dominican public that we do not have that situation on island and the shortage has not affected us in no way as yet,” Veteran Pharmacist and Public Relations Officer (PRO) of Jolly’s Pharmacy, Carlton Languedoc, confirmed to Dominica News Online (DNO).
He continued, “We’ve been quite secure in terms of the formulas for babies and infants and even the special formulas that are given to premature babies, and we assure the public that currently, our stock in our inventory is good and we’ve not had any challenges or problems.”
Languedoc went on to assure the public that the pharmacy, retail and distribution company is in “preparatory mode” to source formulas as soon as possible in the event that their supplies do run low.
On Feb. 17, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned consumers not to use certain powdered infant formula products from Abbott Nutrition’s Sturgis, Michigan facility, after FDA inspectors began investigating four bacterial infections in infants who had consumed formula from the plant. All four were hospitalized and two died.
Soon after, Abbott Nutrition voluntarily recalled several of their formulas which led to Jolly’s pharmacy announcing the immediate recall of specific Similac advanced formulas locally.
Since then, Languedoc says that they have not received any reports of infants getting ill as a result of the suspected tainted formula.
“When that recall was announced we immediately went into our inventory to look at the batches that were announced and recognize that we had a few from that batch. Luckily we did have newer stock that had just arrived and that stock was fine,” he told DNO. “So in terms of the recall, that was ironed out very very easily and it did not cause any interruption with our supply chain and with our retail, thankfully.”
In the US, the baby formula shortage is so dire that the FDA this past Monday- May 16, took steps to allow more foreign baby formula into the country by easing rules that had blocked shipments from overseas manufacturers.
On Thursday, the head of the FDA told lawmakers that a shuttered baby formula factory could be up and running as soon as next week, as the administration announced a preliminary agreement with Abbott to restart production, pending safety upgrades and certifications.
Abbott has said that after production resumes, it could take about two months until new formula begins arriving in stores and a few weeks before supplies return to normal levels.
Dominica don’t need to import baby formula from the US. What about the good old toloma which a lot of us grew up on? It did us no harm. It made us strong and heathy. The same cannot be said about the new generation growing up on imported baby formula.
Calton what a you saying you have plenty baby food in Dominica sell some to the US, in Dominica you all don’t make children that why, Dominica have 70 thousand people compare to the other country’s in the Caribbean, in Dominica less than 100 children born a year, in the US 385.000 per day make me understand your STATMENT may be you have expire baby food too , am just checking. What a country.
If you did not know the rate that babies born per day in the US the same rate of death per day in the US the population of the USA is 350.5 million compare to Dominica that’s 70 thousand people.
Calton what a you saying you have plenty baby food in Dominica sell some to the US, in Dominica you all don’t make children that why, Dominica have 70 thousand people compare to the other country’s in the Caribbean, in Dominica less than 100 children born a year, in the US 385.000 per day make me understand your STATMENT may be you have expire baby food too am just checking
“Families across the U.S. are struggling to find infant formula as supply disruptions during the pandemic and recent recalls perpetuate a widespread shortage of formula.”( Carlton Languedoc).
That contradicts the truth behind the shortage, who knows best the Dominican, the authorities in America?
One cause: The Abbott recall.
One clear cause of the shortage is a February recall of powdered formulas manufactured at Abbott Nutrition’s manufacturing plant in Sturgis, Michigan, where operations have been placed on pause. The Food and Drug Administration issued the recall after receiving complaints of infections due to Cronobacter sakazakii bacteria in four babies from September 2021 to January 2022. Abbott, one of the largest producers of baby formula, said it is “working closely with the FDA to implement corrective actions.”
COVID-19 has very little to do with the situation; besides if less than ten children are born in Dominica per year, how can one experience formula…
I was saying the same thing,millions are born in the good USA,that just too show how backwards some of us are, small Island,small brain.