The Oversight Committee of the United States House of Representatives plans to investigate the four largest manufacturers of infant formula and seek answers about how to increase production amid a national shortage.
“The infant formula shortage is a crisis for American families,” the committee said in a message on Twitter.
Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, who leads the committee, sent letters requesting information to Abbott Nutrition, Mead Johnson Nutrition, Nestle USA and Perrigoreported ABC News.
“The national shortage of formula milk poses a threat to the health and economic security of infants and families in communities across the country, particularly those with the lowest incomes who have historically suffered from health disparities, including food insecurity,” the letter stated.
The investigation, which will examine, among other things, possible pricing fraud, is the latest move in Washington to address the shortage.
Abbott Laboratories in February recalled some infant formulas, including some Similac products, made at the Sturgis, Michigan plant, after receiving complaints about bacterial infections in babies who had consumed the products.
The formula shortage has been exacerbated by supply chain problems and historic inflation, which has left about 40% of infant formula products nationwide out of stock, according to the data company Datasembly.
Fewer than half of babies born in the United States were exclusively breastfed during their first three months of life, according to the 2020 Breastfeeding Report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
US President Joe Biden met with executives from infant formula manufacturers and retailers on Thursday, pressing them to do everything they can to make it accessible to families.
Some manufacturers have been ramping up production for weeks, and officials are also focusing on how to get the formula onto store shelves faster, said Brian Deese, director of the White House National Economic Council.