Pinal Today

Pinal County parents are worried about a baby formula shortage.

According to PinalCentral, Shana Mickelson, a mother in Casa Grande said, “It was scary looking at the nearly empty shelves in Walmart." 

A recall by Abbott Nutrition is believed to be the culprit behind the formula shortage.  

“I am breast-feeding" Mickelson said. "But I know not everyone can breast-feed. With my oldest, I couldn’t breast-feed. I worry about those moms whose babies can’t breast-feed or moms of multiples. This must be even more scary for them.”

Business owners are well aware of the shortage. 

“People want to feed their babies and we’ve been out of formula for a while,” said Tom Shope, a shop owner in Coolidge, on May 14. “I’d like customers to know we’re trying. We’re doing everything we can to get formula for our customers, but there’s only so much we can do.”

Government agencies are also cognizant of the shrinking supply. 

“The current and ongoing infant formula shortage has been caused by several factors, including the recent formula recall and continued supply chain issues,” the Pinal County Public Health Agency wrote, according to PinalCentral.

The government is also talking about measures to to combat the shortage.

“To provide families with more flexibility we have, since the beginning of the infant formula shortage, made available additional can sizes of Similac and certain other brands for WIC families. This this will continue,” said the blog post by The Arizona Department of Health Services, according to PinalCentral.