Relief from a nationwide baby formula shortage may soon be coming, but in the meantime, bare shelves have become a frightening sight for parents.
The shortage stems from February, when Abbott Nutrition voluntarily recalled products made at its Michigan plant over concerns they may have been contaminated.
Tiare Sanna is the state director of Women’s Infants and Children at the Oregon Health Authority, a federal program that provides supplemental nutritional assistance to low-income women and children up to age five.
She said the state’s WIC program has let local agencies statewide know where the formula is in stock.
“We send them reports on stores that have buybacks for different types of formulas,” Sanna said, “so they can work with participants to know, ‘OK, this store is buying back a lot of Similac or Enfamil, or store brand products.’ That means they have to have supply there and encourage attendees to try and go to those stores.”
If parents are considering alternative formulas, the OHA advises them to call their pediatrician first for recommendations. Homemade solutions or formulas that are too dilute can be dangerous for infants.
Sanna said people in need of financial assistance to purchase formula can contact their local WIC office.
And for people who want to help, Sanna said they should avoid buying formula.
They can also use social media, for example, to let people know if they find a store with a big supply. Or they can notify the OHA.
Sanna said some stores limit the amount of formula people can buy at one time.
“Any kind of hoarding formula that we want to avoid because the supply is coming,” Sanna said. “So we just want to make sure there’s enough on the shelves for everyone to get – because with infants, it’s either a single source of their nutrition or a very big part of it. “
The Oregon Food Bank says people with factory-sealed, unexpired unused formula can use its Food Finder tool to find a nearby food donation site. But people are advised to check with the organization first to see if they can accept formula donations.
There are positive signs that the formula shortage may soon ease. Sanna noted that Abbott’s factory in Sturgis, Michigan, reopened last week.
“Because the Sturgis plant just opened,” Sanna said, “and with every effort to bring in infant formula from outside of the United States, we’re hoping that very soon we’ll see a supply a lot healthier in infant formula.”
Sanna said the Oregon WIC program has a contract with Similac but can issue other brands of formula, including from outside the country, until August 30.
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Minnesota is now the 20th state in the nation to allow maximum eligibility for federal SNAP benefits. Hunger groups say it comes at a crucial time as households grapple with rising grocery costs.
The end of the legislative session drew attention primarily to what Minnesota lawmakers did not finalize, but they did agree to increase the gross income threshold for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. . It’s now 200% of the federal poverty level, or just over $46,000 a year for a family of three.
Peter Woitock, government relations specialist for the Hunger Solutions Group, said some households just above the eligibility threshold could have seen a further increase in their wages, but inflation still makes it difficult to buy food.
“We are starting to see a ‘hunger cliff’, and many people are experiencing it,” he said. “And so, that’s a partial solution that may help some of those families who would then be eligible.”
He said it also comes as a number of temporary COVID relief programs to tackle food insecurity begin to run out of steam. The group noted that some people missed SNAP eligibility by less than $100. Senate Republicans wanted to add work checks, but opponents of the idea argued it would have been an additional burden on those already struggling.
In southern Minnesota, Shari Koll, who runs the Springfield Area Food Shelf, said raising the income level for eligibility could also help ease the pressure local food pantries are facing.
“What we find is that more people are starting to come,” she said, “and when they come, they tell us how expensive things are at the grocery store. .”
She said they’ve gone from about 20 customers a month to 60. The US Department of Agriculture said grocery costs rose nearly 11% from April last year to this year. Meanwhile, those newly eligible for SNAP benefits can apply through the Minnesota Department of Social Services. SNAP participants receive EBT cards to use at local grocery stores.
Disclosure: Hunger Solutions Minnesota contributes to our Fund for Hunger/Food/Nutrition, Living Wages/Working Families Reports. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.
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A new report reveals that many Missourians are still struggling with food insecurity, and at much higher levels than before the pandemic.
Food pantries are seeing demand 50% higher than it was before COVID, and 70% of food pant customers surveyed by the University of Missouri said they often don’t know where their food will come from. next meal.
Kim Buckman, communications and advocacy manager for Feeding Missouri, the group that commissioned the survey, pointed out that with inflation, just over half of respondents said they get more than half of all the food they consume in pantries.
“Food insecurity is something we never want anyone to have to go through,” she said, “to try to figure out where their next meal is coming from, or worry about watering down the food, or skipping meals or exchanging food for medicine or vice versa.”
Nearly 40% of respondents said they had to choose between food and medicine or medical care; more than 45% said they chose between food and paying utility bills; and nearly 35% between food and housing. While more than 70% of households surveyed were eligible for SNAP — the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Buckman said, just over 40% were enrolled.
Buckman noted that the survey also covered links between health problems and food insecurity. Sixty percent of respondents said someone in their household had high blood pressure and 41% included someone with diabetes.
“We know there’s a lot of research that links food insecurity to health issues,” she said, “but we’ve actually been able to identify health issues – not just at the statewide, but also regionally – so we can get a better sense of what kind of education we could possibly provide in the pantries.”
Buckman said the high cost of gas and groceries puts extra pressure on many families.
“Even our food banks are seeing an increase – like in some categories, two to three times what they should be spending on food, to get food out to people,” she said, “so I can only ‘imagine what that does to families.
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A new initiative in Arkansas’ most populous county focuses on increasing healthy options in food pantries to help families facing challenges due to the pandemic and rising prices due to the inflation.
Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance received $500,000 from Pulaski County to create hunger gardens, purchase food, and improve or establish food delivery programs for seniors and residents at home.
Jessica Chapman, membership manager for the Alliance, said working with pantries is important. Food pantries have faced major challenges during COVID-19 with a sharp increase in the number of food insecure families.
“With inflation, it’s just going to get worse,” Chapman projected. “I know with some of the pantries I’ve spoken to, their funding isn’t going up, but the price of goods is going up. It’s a lot of pressure on the pantries, and I’m glad we let’s have this funding to be able to help them, and therefore help the community.”
The new initiative is an expansion of a $100,000 pilot run in Pulaski County last year, which was able to serve nearly 17,000 residents. Food pantries serving Pulaski County can apply for funding through June 17 at arhungeralliance.org/grants. The winning organizations will be announced on July 18.
Chapman added that funding home delivery programs will be essential for people facing transportation challenges, such as the elderly and housebound residents. With more resources, agencies and organizations could purchase their own vehicle.
“A lot of pantries, whenever they have a delivery program, it’s all volunteer-based,” Chapman pointed out. “It’s really hard to set up a delivery schedule because people use their own vehicles or they’re not available to drive all the time and keep their schedule.”
Also through the initiative, organizations can apply for funding to establish or expand a hunger garden. Chapman added that they can use the funding to fund the purchase of items such as duct tape, fertilizer, compost or gardening tools.
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