Negli Stati Uniti, in moltissimi stati, non si riesce più a trovare  latte in polvere per bambini di età inferiore all’anno. La questione sta ovviamente diventando materia di dibattito nazionale. Da questo articolo del New York Times:

A baby formula shortage gripping the U.S. since March has parents in a panic over where and when they’ll be able to find the products they need to feed their kids.

The out-of-stock rate, representing the amount of formula that’s not in stock compared to what’s typically available, was 43% for the week ending May 8, according to Datasembly, a provider of real-time product data for retailers and consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands.

With no easy end in sight, caregivers nationwide have been forced to devote their free time to driving between stores in search of formula, prompting retailers to limit the number of cans customers can buy.

Il problema nasce da una tempesta perfetta data da tre fattori dice l’Atlantic. Il primo:

First, the bacteria. After the recent deaths of at least two infants from a rare infection, the Food and Drug Administration investigated Abbott, a major producer of infant formula, and discovered traces of the pathogen Cronobacter sakazakii in a Michigan plant. As a result, the FDA recalled several brands of formula, and parents were advised to not buy or use some formula tied to the plant.

Il secondo è stato un mercato bizzoso per colpa della pandemia

“During the spring of 2020, formula sales rocketed upwards as people stockpiled formula just like they stockpiled toilet paper,” Lyman Stone, the director of research at the consulting firm Demographic Intelligence, told me. Then, as “families worked through their stockpiles, sales fell a lot. This oscillation made planning for production extremely difficult. It was complicated to get an idea of the actual market size.”

Il terzo è dovuto a una contrazione delle importazioni sulla base di politiche protezioniste iniziate durante l’amministrazione Trump che rende difficoltosa l’apertura a merce prodotta all’estero per ovviare a i problemi di reperimento interni

Under President Donald Trump, the U.S. entered into a new North American trade agreement that actively discourages formula imports from our largest trading partner, Canada.

Il problema è sentito da tutte le famiglie che usano il latte ricostituito per nutrire i loro bambini. Ci sono timori che in famiglie con meno mezzi finanziari e culturali si passi troppo presto all’uso sostitutivo di latte di vacca che può portare a malnutrizione tanto che la maggior parte dei media sta fornendo vademecum per la gestione dell’emergenza con indicazioni ai genitori su cosa fare e non fare.