New York mayor declares state of emergency due to shortage of baby formula

New York City Mayor Eric Adams declared a state of emergency in the city due to an acute shortage of infant formula. The decree in question was published Sunday on New York City’s website.

“The Mayor of New York City has signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency in the city due to a shortage of infant formula. This decree authorizes the New York City Department of Consumer Protection and workers to prevent the price of formula from rising,” the document reads.

The order emphasizes that the cause of the shortage of infant formula in the United States was a recall of Abbott products and the subsequent temporary closure of the company’s facility, one of the largest in the country, which produced infant formula.

“The nationwide baby formula shortage has brought unimaginable pain and anxiety to New York City families. We must take immediate action. A state of emergency will allow us to stop retailers from trying to profit from the crisis by jacking up the price of a product that is a basic necessity. Our simple message to struggling mothers and families is this: New York City will do everything in its power to help you during this difficult time,” the New York City mayor’s message is quoted on the website.

On Sunday, U.S. authorities began shipping the products from overseas on Pentagon-chartered commercial planes to address the nation’s baby food shortage. “The Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services have been able to use commercial planes chartered by the Pentagon to deliver baby formula from overseas that meets U.S. health and safety standards to get it to [American] store shelves faster,” White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre said at a briefing.

Acute shortages of infant formula have emerged in the U.S. due to supply chain disruptions and mass recalls of the product from the market. According to Datasembly, which gathered information from more than 11,000 retail outlets, at the beginning of May there was 43% less baby formula in stock. Republicans have criticized the administration of President Joe Biden for belated decisions, although potential problems were known about late last year. The situation against the backdrop of high inflation in the U.S. has an extremely negative impact on the popularity rating of Biden and his fellow party members.