In early 2022, one of the three major infant formula producers in the United States stopped production at a plant because of possible bacterial contamination that may have caused several infant deaths. Compounded with the ongoing global supply chain crisis, the shutdown caused a severe shortage of infant formula. By late spring out-of-stock rates had risen to 74%.
Only a quarter of infants are breastfed exclusively after six months according to the CDC, leaving the majority of families with babies under a year-old depending on formula.