Back in July of 2021 there were economic indicators that the infant formula industry was heading into severe supply chain issues. Was Joe Biden awake or napping like Rip Van Winkle? Likely the latter.
Earlier this month, Breitbart News reported on a company known as “Datasembly” who tracks real-time product pricing, promotions, and data for retailers of “Consumer Packaged Goods” (CPG) brands such as infant formula.
Apparently, they track “out of stock” percentages (OOS) on these goods as part of their data collection technology, allowing retailers to obtain (and share) hyperlocal pricing, promotions, and assortment insights. In short, they track numbers that help businesses make economic decisions that relate to a variety of products.
According to “Datasembly” CEO, Ben Reich -
“Baby formula demonstrated inflationary spikes in July of 2021, and the situation has continued to worsen the first few months of 2022. Inflation, supply chain shortages and product recalls have continued to bring volatility to the category, and continues to be one of the most affected products in the market” and “Since early April, baby formula out of stock rates have soared to 40 percent across the country, according to our analysis.”
-Breitbart News
So, let’s clarify. Supply chain shortages have been producing an infant formula deficit since July of 2021 and the Biden Administration is telling parents, a 10 full months later-
“… (we’re) taking every step we can to ensure there is supply on store shelves and we have increased the supply over the last four weeks.”
-Jen Psaki, WH Press Secretary
Really, how is that when the facts deny any increase at all? Out of stock data at the end of April had 6 states struggling with greater than 50% shortfalls and now just 4 weeks later there are 26 states with 40-50 % shortages of infant formula. The facts don’t lie.
In the same press conference given by the White House, Psaki indicated that they have been “working on this for months”. Well if it takes 6-8 weeks to get supplies to market after taking at least two weeks to increase or resume/ increase production, why do we have a deficit of infant formula at all?
There should have been no interruption of resources to American consumers at all. The truth is the Biden Administration is now shifting into overdrive to finally deal this issue.
They literally have not considered the shortages as they have been building, the fear this has created for parents with the outrage at their insensitivity to American parents when they loaded up pallets of highly sought after formula and shipped it to the border. The ignorance of this administration is staggering.
Until it became critical mass, little has been done. The facts support a lack of attention to the supply and demand issue – leaving American parents and their children struggling. But hey, illegal immigrants at the border certainly have what they need now thanks to Joe.
The Biden Administration has been taking a long “Joey Nap” while supply chain issues have crept up on hardworking families who cannot now feed their babies. How irresponsible!
Joe Biden is actually making history. As someone aptly put it-
France, 1788: "My Queen, the peasants are starving -- they have no bread!"
Marie Antoinette: "Then let them eat cake."USA, 2022: "President Biden, there are infants who may starve without formula supplies...!"
-Pale Writer, Breitbart Blogger
Biden: "They can call their doctor..."
As if to add insult to injury, in her recent press address Psaki spent time, a whole 1.35 minutes on this issue essentially telling America how busy the Biden administration is on this matter, before leaping into the just started COVID 19 Summit. Unbelievable.
We have children that do not have food to eat and this administration is being sure to DEFLECT their negligence by discussing the 1 Million lives (updated count) lost to a pandemic. This is a topic which Democrats need to keep alive by any means. The fearmongering continues so they can keep the party-line happy, while covering up the massive neglect here at home.
No one is insensitive to the lives lost with COVID 19 – however that the administration would use this opportunity to spout off about all their plans and goals moving forward is ludicrous. Really bad timing Joe – sorry America’s infants woke you from your nap, but they are hungry.
Psaki goes on to take questions and make insubstantial statements about all that is being done at this point. Her comments lead the listener to believe how important this matter has become to the Biden Administration and sounds very important (finally), making a lot of empty proposed statements which involve too many possible elements to follow or track. She is good at saying a lot - about nothing.
Essentially, she really doesn’t have any definitive answers and no real suggestions for parents beyond stating-
“We would certainly encourage any parent who has concerns about their child’s health or well-being to call their doctor or pediatrician,”
-Jen Psaki, WH Press Secretary
Three cheers for the blogger above who drew the historical comparison! How very appropriate.
Sadly, it has been reported that families are spending gas (money) they don’t have, to search multiple stores, traveling miles - trolling for infant formula. This is especially true for families with infants and toddlers that have medical needs and require specific formulas to feed them. Worse yet, there are persons taking advantage of these desperate parents, boot-legging supplies, scalping parents with astronomical costs and even scamming them. Again, this circumstance could have been entirely prevented if Joe Biden’s White House had been on top of the issue.
Imagine the panic parents face presently, in first finding infant formula and then living by the purchase limitations that stores have been forced to implement. This is all because no one was placing America’s children first or at least considering how this supply chain nightmare would affect them and their families. If the estimates hold true, America’s families will see no short-term relief from the shortages not to mention long term formula prices will likely remain higher. Thanks again, Joe.