Baby formula shortage hurts small businesses as shelves remain empty
Borchardt Brothers Market owner Andrew Borchardt shares the ‘crippling’ effects the baby formula crisis has had for both his Michigan store and his local community.
As national retail stores struggle to keep shelves stocked with baby formula, small businesses face an even more difficult time getting the supply needed for the community.
Owner of Borchardt Brothers Market in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Andrew Borchardt joined "Fox & Friends" to shed light on the difficulties small businesses around the country face in stocking shelves.
"I get two trucks a week and I probably haven't seen formula in at least three to four months on my shelves, the ones that people need," Borchardt told host Steve Doocy. "We do go outside and try and find it at other vendors, but it's just nonexistent right now."
A can of Toddler Nutritional Drink is shown on a shelf in a grocery store, Friday, June 17, 2022, in Surfside, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Experts say the formula crisis is rooted in the supply chain disruptions caused by global and domestic lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. While formula shortages started back in 2021, the crisis gained more national attention two months ago after a Michigan Abbott plant shut down.
Borchardt, along with other business owners and suppliers, has criticized the Biden administration and the Food and Drug Administration for failing to prepare a resupply strategy.
"You would have thought that when [the FDA] shut them down, they would have had some type of backup plan," Borchardt argued. "It's obvious that they didn't because no one, not even the bigger stores have [a resupply plan]."
In May, President Biden invoked the Defense Production Act and launched "Operation Fly Formula" to respond to mounting concerns over the shortage. Last month, a shipment of 10,500 cases of baby formula landed in Texas and was given to a Fort Worth, Texas Nestlé distribution center.
As the Biden administration and the FDA work to combat the growing crisis, ongoing inflation and supply chain interruptions continue to plague the production and manufacturing of baby formula.
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"It's gotten way worse than since it started," Borchardt said. "It's been a very big struggle."
Fox News' Stephen Sorace and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
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