Texas Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne took to social media on Friday to announce a new baby formula finder in the DFW Metroplex.
“We know many of you with babies are looking for formula all over North Texas,” she posted on Facebook on May 13. “We have put together a website to aid in locating in-stock stores, but we need your help. If you see formula in stock, go to the website below or just add the location in the comment sections below and we will add it.”
The website is titled “The DFW Formula Finder” and is found at www.dfwbabyformula.com.
The page was created as parents all over Texas are struggling to find the formula for their children. As reported by The Dallas Express, four infants were hospitalized in February after consuming baby formula, leading the FDA to issue an emergency warning to parents to stop using the products.
Manufacturer Abbott Nutrition recalled certain Similac, Alimentum, and EleCare baby formula powders after one infant tragically died from an infection possibly linked to the product.
The Dallas Express reports that the recall and the recent supply chain issues in the country, which have seen many products marked out of stock in stores and online, are major contributing factors to the shortage of formula.
According to Datasembly, a retail data company, over half the supply of baby formula in Texas and five other states was sold out in April.
“Let’s work together to make sure there are no hungry babies in North Texas this weekend!” concluded Van Duyne’s post.
According to a press release from her office, Van Duyne is helping parents find baby formula near them to combat what she sees as U.S. President Biden’s baby formula shortage.
“While President Biden may be complacent with hungry children and desperate parents, I am committed to doing the work he continually fails to accomplish,” said Van Duyne. “Infants across North Texas are hungry today, and I am focused on using all the available resources to ensure their bottles are full.”
According to the press release, the website will work to bring the North Texas Community together and crowdsource information, providing local information for stores with formula in stock.
“Parents across the nation have felt the effects of constant supply chain disruptions and the recent safety recall by the nation’s largest formula manufacturer,” the press release concludes. “The Biden administration’s inaction over this shortage has drastically exacerbated the crisis.”
On the same day, Biden announced a plan to help WIC recipients get baby formula.
“We moved as quickly as the problem became apparent to us,” he said. “We have to move with caution as well as speed, because we got to make sure what we’re getting is in fact first-rate product, that’s why the FDA has to go through the process.”
He also told reporters, “If we had been better mind readers, I guess we could’ve” acted sooner.
