LANSING, Mich. — Just two years ago the nation faced widespread shortages of baby formula after a potentially deadly bacteria was detected at a major facility here in Michigan.
Now, a bill in Congress from a Michigan senator is aiming to stop that from happening again.
The bill would essentially put in place a new requirement for formula manufacturers when it comes to testing their formula before it goes on the shelves.
This new regulation would require that formulas be tested by the manufacturer or the facility before they are sent out to the broader marketplace. If any problem is found, they would then have to immediately report that to the federal Food and Drug Administration.
This comes after the U.S. Census Bureau released new data just a couple of months ago saying that about 35 percent of parents had difficulty getting formula in the fall of 2022, and 20 percent still had that problem just last summer.
13 ON YOUR SIDE spoke with Senator Gary Peters about the bill and why, given the recalls that happened a couple of years ago, it's being put forward now.
"There were then inadequate supply, especially as people started hoarding other infant formula, because they were concerned it wasn't going to be available," said Peters "And then that led to even bigger shortages. It's something that we can never let happen. Again, this bill addresses that issue. And it addresses it in what I think is the most common sense way you can possibly imagine."
While there is currently no large-scale shortage like there was a couple of years ago, the Associated Press reported just in the last day that health officials are warning parents to avoid powdered formula from a Texas dairy producer after a sample tested positive for the same bacteria that led to recalls and shortages in 2022.
This bill was just introduced and sent off to the committee a couple of days ago, so the timeline is not yet clear. Peters is partnering with John Hoeven, a Republican Senator from North Dakota, on the bill.
So the bill already has bipartisan support from the starting gate. But still, getting it through the process may take some time.
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