U.S. milk banks see surge sparked by baby formula shortage

The U.S. baby formula shortage has sparked a surge of interest at milk banks around the U.S. with some mothers offering to donate breast milk and desperate parents calling to see if it’s a solution to keep their babies fed.

It’s a pathway that won’t work for every formula-fed baby, especially those with special dietary needs, and it comes with challenges because the country’s dozens of nonprofit milk banks prioritize feeding medically fragile infants. The organizations collect the milk from mothers and pasteurize it before distributing it to hospitals.

The shortage was caused by a safety recall, supply disruptions, and has attracted national attention. Panicked parents are now looking for formula online to buy and swap. President Joe Biden is urging manufacturers to increase production and discussing how retailers can restock shelves to address regional disparities. Biden’s administration also saidFriday’s announcement by Abbott Laboratories indicated that they would offer rebates for WIC, a program similar to a food stamp that aids women, infants, and children.

At the Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast, based in Newton, Massachusetts, interest in donating and receiving milk because of the shortage has spiked. The milk bank typically receives 30-50 calls per month from people who are looking to donate. On Thursday, 35 calls were received from potential donors. said Deborah Youngblood, the bank’s executive director.

“It’s interesting the first sort of response that we got was from potential donors _ so people responding to the formula shortage with sort of an amazing, compassionate response of how can I be part of the solution?” she said.

Youngblood was speaking about Kayla Gillespie, a 38 year-old mother from Hays (Kansas), who donated her milk to the Mothers’ Milk Bank. Gillespie first donated to the Mothers’ Milk Bank in Denver six years ago, giving 18 gallons (68 liters) after the birth of her first child, and wasn’t planning to do it again.

“I thought 18 gallons was sufficient for one person,” she said. “If I hadn’t heard of the shortage, I wouldn’t be going through the process again, just because I have three kids and it’s a little chaotic around here.”

She has pledged at minimum 150 ounces to her milk, but saidShe expects to give more than that.

“I’m very blessed with being able to produce milk, so I just felt I needed to do something,” she said.

She saidShe has previously shipped frozen milk in special containers to Denver. However, the local hospital accepts donations and she can drop them off.

It’s not just donors, though. Milk banks are also being sought by parents who desperately need nutrition for their children.

At the Massachusetts milk bank, about 30 people called looking for milk because they couldn’t find their baby’s usual formula, Youngblood said. That’s up from nearly no calls at all, since the milk bank typically serves hospitals.

The Human Milk Banking Association of North America, an accrediting organization for nonprofit milk banks, is seeing a “major increase” in demand, according to Lindsay Groff, the group’s executive director. According to Groff, inquiries from parents looking for formula fillers have increased by 20% in the past few days.

Groff called the shortage a “crisis” and said it’s not as simple as parents just supplementing with donated human milk, because the vast majority of those supplies are earmarked for babies with medical conditions.

“If people can donate, now would be the time because when we have more of an inventory we can look beyond the medically fragile,” she said.

Parents are also turning to online breastmilk-swapping forums to meet their babies’ needs.

Amanda Kastelein is a Middlebury mom of three. She has been supplementing Emerson’s special formula by giving her breast milk to a mom she met on a peer-to–peer Facebook group called Human Milk 4 Human Babies.

Kastelein gave up breastfeeding due to persistent infections. She tried to resume lactation in March following the recall of formula, but with no success.

“Emerson is allergic to most of the formulas, so it’s been difficult to find something he’s not allergic to,” she said.

Hannah Breton, a Naugatuck, Connecticut resident, stepped in, having been producing more milk that her 2-month-old son needed. She’s been giving Kastelein about 60 ounces of milk every two weeks. That’s enough to supplement her formula supply and keep Emerson fed.

“She asked a bunch of questions – what medications I’m taking, if any, that kind of thing,” Breton said. “So we decided, `OK, that’s perfect.’ So, she comes by every couple weeks and picks up the milk I’ve been saving for her.”

“I do feel helpful,” she added. “It’s exciting and rewarding that I can give to a mom that can’t find what she’s looking for, and if her son can’t take formula, I mean, it’s scary.

Rebecca Heinrich, director of the Mothers’ Milk Bank in Colorado, advises those looking for milk that searching for donors on their own can carry risks.

“We want to make sure that these moms are being as safe as they can and meeting the needs of their infant, so consulting with their health-care provider on how to meet those needs is the best way to go,” she said.

Due to contamination concerns, the shortage causes problems for families with lower incomes. WIC is a federal program which provides food stamps to women, infants, and children. The recall affected many brands, but it allows brand substitutions.

On Friday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack sent a letter to the head of Abbott Laboratories expressing what he called his “grave concern regarding the accessibility of safe infant formula,” noting Abbott holds infant formula contracts in the federal WIC program. Vilsack requested that Abbott maintain a rebate program for alternative products, including formula for competing brands. This was something it had been doing for a month. The White House saidFriday Abbott promised to continue the rebates until the end of August.

The Biden administration said it’s working with states to make it easier for WIC recipients to buy different sizes of formula that their benefits might not currently cover.

Abbott has said that pending Food and Drug Administration approval, it could restart a manufacturing site “within two weeks.”

The company would produce EleCare and Alimentum as well as metabolic and metabolic formulas. After that, Similac and all other formulas would be produced. It would take between six and eight weeks for the formulas to reach shelves once production has begun.

The FDA will be open Tuesday saidIt was working with U.S. producers to increase their output, and to streamline paperwork so that more imports can be made.