Parents Struggling To Find Baby Formula As Main Plant Remains Closed

Some organizations in Oklahoma and an Oklahoma congresswoman are trying to help families dealing with the nationwide shortage of baby formula.

It's a nightmare situation for foster caregivers like Jackie Rodgers.

"It's been terrible," She said. "With the shortage, we've searched everywhere, we have nana checking in Collinsville and Owasso, We have torn Bixby and Tulsa and Broken Arrow apart. You know unfortunately as a foster parent or foster caregiver; we are reliant on this formula."

Brenda Raleigh with the Pregnancy Resource Center of Owasso is doing everything she can to help.

The resource center had a formula stockpile - and has already helped more than 50 families feed their children for free.

"When we learned of this shortage we felt the need that we need to help people. This is God’s place and this is his stuff and we’re ready to give it away," Raleigh said.

98-percent of the formula American families use is made domestically.

The supply of baby formula was already strained by the pandemic - but stockpiles were severely hit when a major US manufacturer shut down its production and recalled products for safety reasons, and it's still closed.

Oklahoma Representative Stephanie Bice said a solution could be beyond our borders.

“If we can look to foreign entities, may be in Europe that have similar formula requirements, the FDA can speed up a process to approve those to be sold in the US," Bice said.

Bice hopes her proposal gains enough traction in time to pass, allowing foreign formula, often just as good as US brands, to be sold domestically.

If the proposal passes it could ease the burden on domestic manufacturers of formula unable to keep up with demand. But the bill is still a long way from becoming law.