(Jacob Bruns, Headline USA) As the economy struggles and inflation continues to put pressure on Americans, President Joe Biden and his administration appear likely to oversee yet another baby formula shortage, Good Morning American reported.
The first shortage took place in 2022, with Republicans blaming Biden and congressional Democrats—who held majorities in both chambers at the time—for their failure to anticipate the situation before it became a full-blown crisis.
While the inflation crisis had been building throughout much of the year prior, with administration officials insisting it was transitory, the baby-food shortage appeared to mark a turning point as young mothers, who traditionally constitute a loyal Democratic voting base, began to lose their confidence in the administration and to demand an end to the economic gaslighting.
With the election now just a matter of months away, another such shortage could prove to be the George Floyd moment of the 2024 race if left unattended.
This time, 675,000 cans of infant baby formula have been recalled after bacterial infections were discovered to have contaminated product.
The announcement was made by Reckitt and Mead Johnson Nutrition, the makers of several baby-formula brands including Enfamil and Nutramigen.
According to a spokesman for the food manufacturer, they were alerted last month that numerous batches of baby food may be contaminated.
Despite the fact that “all tests came back negative,” the company deemed it appropriate to take no “short cuts” when dealing with such a “vulnerable population.”
“Parents should be reassured that they can continue to feed their infants with Reckitt/Mead Johnson Nutrition products, including other Nutramigen powder formula batches, with confidence,” the spokesman added.
The baby formula, which is a replacement for natural breast milk and is instead made of hormone-warping ingredients such as corn-based sweeteners, vegetable oils and soybeans, will now reportedly be much harder to acquire.
Yet, the effects of the dangerous ingredients that make up the main inputs of infant formula are only seen over a long period of time. The more acute troubles which led to the recall were allegedly caused by Cronobacter sakazaki, a bacteria that has caused other dry goods shortages as recently as 2022.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the bacterial infection is a rare type, but one that is particularly dangerous for babies under two months of age and also among babies born prematurely.
Potential symptoms include seizures, meningitis, brain and spinal swelling or even premature death.
