White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Monday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is “working around the clock” to address the shortage of baby formulas, as manufacturers say they produce at full capacity and do as much as they can – but this still not enough to meet current demand.

“The FDA has issued a recall to make sure they are fulfilling their health commitments to Americans – including infants who have of course received or taken the mixture – and to ensure the availability of safe products. This is their job, – said Psaki.

“Ensuring accessibility is also a priority for the FDA, and they work around the clock to eliminate any possible shortcomings,” she added.

Psaki said the FDA is taking “a number of steps” to address this issue, including working with major baby formula manufacturers to increase their production, and working with the industry to optimize supply lines, product sizes and prioritize product lines that have the greatest need. .

“The FDA, in their view, is not only their responsibility to ensure that we fulfill our commitment to protect Americans, it is also their responsibility to take steps to ensure that supplies can be met if they take these steps,” Psaki said. . .

Psaki also said she did not believe there was a national stock of baby formula when asked.

For months, stores across the country struggled to purchase enough baby formula. Manufacturers say they are producing at full capacity and making as many formulas as they can, but that is still not enough to meet current demand.

In the first half of 2021, the rate of absence of infant formula ranged from 2% to 8%, but in July last year began to grow sharply. In the period from November 2021 to early April 2022, the absenteeism rate jumped to 31%, data from Data collection showed.

That figure rose another 9 percentage points in just three weeks in April and now stands at 40%, statistics show. In six states – Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, Missouri, Texas and Tennessee – more than half of baby formulas were fully sold out during the week beginning April 24, according to Datasembly.

The deficit was exacerbated by the closure of the FDA’s Abbott Nutrition facility in Sturgis, Michigan. Abbott is a major manufacturer of baby formulas.

In February, the FDA withdrew three brands of baby powder mixes made by the company due to potential bacterial infections, including salmonella. The agency advised parents not to buy or use certain batches of baby powder mixes Similac, Alimentum and EleCare, all Abbott brands.