Parents 'panicking' as they scramble to locate and purchase baby formula
Kentucky father Russel Bleck and Texas mother Emily Stanley say they've both encountered empty shelves as the nationwide baby formula shortage worsens.
A Texas mother said she is "panicking" Wednesday as she struggles to secure food for her infant daughter amid a nationwide shortage of baby formula.
Emily Stanley's 5-month-old daughter was born prematurely, meaning she has a sensitive stomach and needs special formula. But, due to the shortage, Stanley has resorted to feeding her child whatever formula she can find.
"I’ve driven about an hour away to find what I could that’s not even what we’re normally giving my 5-month-old daughter," she said on "Fox & Friends." "There’s pretty much nothing on the shelves here in town."
Russell Bleck, a Kentucky father of two, said the shortage is so bad in his area that he doesn’t even have the option of switching to a different brand.
Bleck said his efforts to find formula were fruitless, with even Amazon sold out. After two hours on the phone with a formula company, Bleck said he gave up searching. He had placed orders with five different retailers, and all but one were canceled.
"Our family and friends from Las Vegas and other places – Ohio – have had to send us formula," he told host Ainsley Earhardt. "It’s how we’ve been able to get through it."
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JANUARY 13: Baby formula is offered for sale at a big box store on January 13, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. Baby formula has been is short supply in many stores around the country for several months. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Stanley also turned to loved ones in other parts of the country to ship formula to her. Out of precaution, she asked a friend to send a box that didn’t feature the formula’s brand name.
"Here in town, they've been locking up the formula up front to make sure there's nobody stealing. So we were concerned that if it was well recognized in the mail, that somebody might pick it up," she said.
She said many stores are limiting formula purchases, and she’s only able to buy about a week and a half worth of formula at a time.
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"That's just kind of scary knowing that after that, it's just unknown if you're going to be able to find something," she said.
President Biden addressed inflation and supply chain concerns during a speech Tuesday, blaming the pandemic and war in Ukraine.
WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 10: U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about inflation and the economy in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus May 10, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Stanley pleaded with the administration to speed up the process of correcting the supply chain however possible.
Bleck said the current state of the country is "disappointing."
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"I was born in ‘89. I thought by the time I grew up, had kids, got married, things were going to be awesome, you know?" he said.
"The world is a lot different than what I thought it was going to be growing up."
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