The claim: Image shows a stockpile of baby formula at the border
While parents deal with the national problem Baby Formula Shortage Fueled by Abbott Nutrition Voluntary Recallthe ongoing crisis has sparked disinformation online.
Social media users shared an image purporting to show pallets of baby formula being shipped to a warehouse on the US-Mexico border.
“#BabyFormulaShortage Much on the border”, read the text of a Facebook post shared on May 12.
The post generated more than 100 shares in three days. Similar claims have circulated on Facebook.
But the image does not show packages of baby formula at the southern border.
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The image was taken in 2020. and shows a stockpile of personal protective equipment (PPE) in a warehouse during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Brands like 3M, which does not make baby formula, can be seen in the boxes of the Facebook post.
USA TODAY has contacted the Facebook user who shared the claim for comment.
The image was captured in 2020 in Los Angeles County
Countywide CommunicationsLos Angeles County Media Relations team released the image in an album titled, “COVID-19: Distribution of personal protective equipment”, on his Flickr page in April 2020.
The boxes include surgical and protective masks that the county stored at a distribution center before shipping them to health care facilities, according to the description on Flickr. Captain Danielle McMillion, The woman in the photo handling supplies works for the county fire department.
The Los Angeles Times also published the image. with the caption: “Los Angeles County Fire Department first responder Danielle McMillon inspects a stockpile of surgical and protective masks in a secret government warehouse and destined for local hospitals.”
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A similar image of McMillion checking the stack of boxes was also shown. posted on Flickr page. tags showing Kimberly-Clark, a PPE manufacturing companycan be seen in various boxes.
Federal government required by 1997 agreement to provide formula for detained migrant children
This image circulates as the Biden administration comes under fire for formula sent to the border amid shortages.
On May 13, White House press secretary Jen Psaki addressed the criticism. from republican legislators who claimed that the Biden administration prioritizes shipping baby formula to the border.
But border officials are bound by a court agreement to provide humane treatment, as a formula, to migrant children detained at border processing facilities.
First signed in 1997, the Flores settlement agreement sets strict national standards for the federal government’s detention of migrant children. The settlement requires adequate food, access to clean water and the provision of medical assistance and other necessities for the children.
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Since at least 2015, Customs and Border Protection has recognized baby formula as part of its detention standards, according to a agency document. He says food provided by the agency “must be appropriate to the age and abilities of detainees at risk, such as formula and baby food.”
Our rating: False
We rate FALSE the claim that an image shows a stockpile of baby formula at the border, based on our research. The image is from 2020 and shows a Los Angeles County warehouse filled with boxes of PPE.
Our data verification sources:
- Countywide Communications, accessed May 17, Homepage
- Kimberly Clark Professional, accessed May 19, Homepage
- Customs and Border Patrol, October 2015, National Regulations on Transport, Escort, Detention and Search
- Countywide Communications via Flickr, April 2, 2020, Photo
- Reuters, May 16, Fact Check: Images of warehouse full of boxes taken in 2020 are not related to US baby formula shortage in 2022
- USA TODAY, April 9, Baby Formula Shortage Continues: Nearly 30% of Popular Brands Sold Out, Stores Rationing Sales
- USA TODAY, May 12, ‘A Matter of Life and Death’: GOP Lawmakers Criticize Joe Biden Over Baby Formula Shortage
- The White House, May 12, FACT SHEET: President Biden Announces Additional Measures to Address Infant Formula Shortage
- The White House, May 13, Press conference by press secretary Jen Psaki
- PolitiFact, May 13, Providing baby formula to babies held at the border is a legal requirement
- Los Angeles County, August 14, 2019, My Job in 60 Seconds: Danielle McMillon
- April 8, 2020, Los Angeles Times, Feds stockpiles for coronavirus response depleted, amid questions about how supplies were distributed
- Abbot, May 16, ABBOTT ENTERS INTO A CONSENT DECREE WITH THE US FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION FOR ITS STURGIS, MICH., PLANT; THE AGREEMENT CREATES THE PATH TO REOPEN THE FACILITY
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Reference-www.usatoday.com