WASHINGTON – Republican North Dakota Senator John Hoeven and Democratic Michigan Senator Gary Peters introduce a bill aimed to prevent infant formula shortages.
In 2022 a bacterial infection at a formula manufacturing plant in Michigan caused the deaths of nine infants and infant formula recalls that triggered a nationwide shortage according to the federal government.
The legislation would require formula manufacturers to test for cronobacter and salmonella, to notify the FDA of contamination within one business day, require the FDA to monitor and report on in-stock rates of infant formula.
“Access to safe infant formula is essential for families across the U.S., and as shortages in recent years have demonstrated, improvements are needed to ensure our nation continues to have a secure supply of this important product. Our legislation would build greater resiliency into the infant formula market, helping to protect against contamination and bolstering supplies to prevent future shortages,” Senator John Hoeven said.
“As a father and grandfather, I was devastated for the parents who lost their children. Parents deserve to know with complete confidence that the formula they are giving their babies is safe. I’m working to make sure something like that never, ever happens again. This commonsense bill would help intercept contaminated formula from reaching the shelves in the first place by allowing the FDA to have a hand in testing for dangerous bacteria. Doing so will help protect our children, but also prevent families from facing another nationwide shortage where folks were struggling to both find and afford infant formula,” Senator Gary Peters said.
