Walgreens announced on Friday that it would limit customers to three infant and toddler formula purchases at a time as shortages for the product brought on primarily by COVID-era supply chain issues continue to worsen, the Daily Mail reported.
The outlet noted that the company is the second-largest drugstore chain in the United States behind CVS and has 9,021 locations in the country.
Along with COVID supply issues, the baby formula shortage was compounded after severe weather in the South created delivery disruptions for distributors. A recall of several Abbott formula products over a possible bacterial infection did not help either.
Nearly 30% of the top-selling baby formula products were out of stock in U.S. stores as of mid-March, up 11% from November, according to a data analysis of 11,000 stores by Datasembly.
The data company's CEO, Ben Reich, told CBS News that the 11% jump was ''a shocking number that you don't see for other categories.''
''We've been tracking it over time, and it's going up dramatically. We see this category is being affected by economic conditions more dramatically than others,'' Reich said.
Some specific states reported even worse numbers. In Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, North and South Dakota, Rhode Island, and Texas, over 40% of baby formula products were out of stock. In Minnesota, that number was above 50%, the Mail reported.
The Infant Nutrition Council of America recently updated its website to address concerns caused by the shortage of formula products, emphasizing steps the agency and producers are taking to tackle the issue.
''Manufacturers have increased production and are working with retailers and government agencies to help ensure availability and continued access to infant formula,'' the page reads.
The council also pleads for parents to ''avoid unnecessary stockpiling'' of baby formula products to ''help ensure all parents and caregivers can obtain the formula they need.''
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