'What's a mother to do?' Monmouth, Ocean food pantries squeezed by baby formula shortage
Area food pantries, a lifeline to those most in need, are starting to feel a little bit of the pinch of the baby formula shortage.
While most interviewed by the Asbury Park Press for this story have some formula on their shelves, at least one is out, but it's not necessarily due to local demand, as that pantry, based in Roosevelt, sent what it had to Ukraine.
Those that do have it don't have a lot in stock.
Formula, either powdered or liquid, is not something pantries buy, several pantries told the Press. They rely on donations and there is concern that the formula shortage could cause that channel to dry up, hurting the area's most vulnerable parents.
Study: More than 3 million live in 'true poverty' in NJ. Most go uncounted
"The post office did a Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. They delivered 3.5 tons of food to us this weekend. There was not a piece of formula, not one item," said Kim Guadango, the former lieutenant governor who is now the executive director of the Mercy Center in Asbury Park.
"Nobody prepared for this. It's simply unbearable," Guadango said of the crisis.
She said she fears desperate parents will resort to watering down formula or making their own at home, which both the American Academy of Pediatricians and the Food and Drug Administration strongly discourage.
The balance of nutrients and vitamins in formula is so delicate and regulated that even a little too much of one supplement could be too much for the baby to handle.
"What's a mother to do? She's going to have to give that baby some substitute and that's the danger. It's heartbreaking," Guadagno said.
How did the baby formula shortage happen?
About 40% of baby formula is out of stock across the country, according to the latest reports. The shortage is driven by supply chain problems and made worse by the February closure of a major production plant in in Michigan and the recall of select infant formulas.
However, the plant issue appears to have reached a resolution, which would get it back online in about two weeks.
The U.S. Department of Justice confirmed Monday that it reached a tentative agreement with baby formula manufacturer Abbott Laboratories to resolve safety issues at its plant in Sturgis, Michigan, that forced the shut down.
Formula crisis: Michigan baby formula plant owner reaches deal to restart production
Other measures at the federal level, including logistical help and imports, could quicken the end of the shortage. In the meantime, the formula crisis remains.
"We are noticing that more people are asking about formula but I'm afraid some of them are asking for the wrong reasons, which is forcing us to tighten up our belts here. We're trying to be good stewards," said Geralyn Fraggetta-Drury, executive director of Freehold Area Open Door.
Fraggetta-Drury said people are trying to get the formula in order to sell it and they're doing their best to screen anyone showing up at their door asking for formula.
In general, though, she said there's never been too a high demand at their pantry for formula and the crisis hasn't put too much added pressure on them.
For one, she said the law requires them to throw out formula the day it expires, so she said they try not to keep to much of it on hand. When they do get large donations of formula, they dole it out to other agencies or pantries in their network.
Another reason is they don't always have the brand or type of formula a parent is giving their child.
"It's not always a match. Sometimes the stars have to align," Fraggetta-Drury said.
When Jersey Shore native Dan Radel is not reporting the news, you can find him in a college classroom where he is a history professor. Reach him @danielradelapp; 732-643-4072; dradel@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Baby formula shortage pinches Monmouth, Ocean county NJ food pantries
