Relief for a nationwide baby formula shortage could be coming soon, but in the meantime, bare shelves have become a scary sight for parents.
The shortage stems from February, when Abbott Nutrition voluntarily recalled products manufactured in its Michigan plant over fears they may have been contaminated.
Tiare Sanna is the Oregon Health Authority's state director of Women's Infants and Children, a federal program that provides supplemental nutrition assistance to low-income women and children up to age five.
She said the state WIC program has been letting local agencies across the state know where formula is in stock.
"We send them out reports on which stores have redemptions for different types of formulas," said Sanna, "so that they can work with participants to know, 'OK, this store is redeeming lots of Similac or Enfamil, or store-brand products.' That means they must have some supply there, and encouraging participants to try to go to those stores."
If parents are considering formula alternatives, the OHA advises them to first call their pediatrician for recommendations. Homemade solutions or over-diluted formula can be unsafe for infants.
Sanna said people in need of financial assistance to purchase formula can contact their local WIC office.
And for people who want to help, Sanna said they should avoid buying formula.
They also can use social media, for instance, to let folks know if they find a store with a big supply. Or they can let the OHA know.
Sanna said some stores are limiting the amount of formula people can buy at one time.
"Any kind of hoarding formula we want to avoid, because the supply is going to come," said Sanna. "So, we just want to want to make sure that there's enough on the shelves so that everybody can get it - because with infants, that's either a sole source of their nutrition or a very large portion."
Oregon Food Bank says people with unused formula that is factory sealed and unexpired can use its Food Finder tool to find a food donation site nearby. But people are advised to check with the organization first to see if they can accept formula donations.
There are positive signs the formula shortage could abate soon. Sanna noted that the Abbott plant in Sturgis, Michigan, reopened last week.
"Because the Sturgis plant was just recently opened," said Sanna, "and with all of the efforts to bring in formula from outside of the United States, we're going to hopefully very shortly see a much healthier supply of infant formula."
Sanna said Oregon's WIC program has a contract with Similac but can issue other brands of formula, including from outside the country, through August 30.
get more stories like this via email
Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online tool could help more school districts participate.
The effort is a key component of the Healthy School Meals for All initiative approved by voters in 2022.
Taylor Frederick - culinary programs manager with Nourish Colorado - said over the past couple of years, school meal operators have identified best practices that can be adopted by other school districts, including how to work with local farms and ranches.
"How you can find your local producer," said Frederick, "and even how to put out specific bids for specific local items, and how to work these sorts of things into your menus."
The new Colorado Local Food Program Guidebook, available online at 'guidebook.nourishcolorado.org,' offers tips and tools for launching and sustaining farm-to-school programs.
The guide also offers ways for parents and community members to engage with their local school district, to encourage them to opt into the voluntary program or make menu recommendations.
Frederick explained that the guide begins with a short quiz that helps direct users to the right resources.
For example, food producers who want to sell their produce to reliable kiddo customers can learn how school district cafeterias operate and purchase food.
"To better understand the school market channels," said Frederick, "the bid process, the price points that school districts are working with, their timing, and a little bit about their menus and products that they are looking for."
He said school meal operators can also get tips on how to transition from serving canned and processed foods to preparing meals with fresh ingredients through a series of training videos.
"Some different types of kitchen equipment that might be in the schools, we have training videos on those," said Frederick. "Some vegetable cookery techniques. Those were the big things that school districts and school meal authorities were really saying that they wanted."
get more stories like this via email
During National Nutrition Month, groups like Virginia Fresh Match are providing people with healthy fresh food options.
Since 2009, the coalition of farmer's markets and mobile food stores has been helping people on SNAP or EBT get access to healthier foods. Some groups have found almost 24% of the benefits are used for healthy foods, while more often they are spent on sugary snacks, premade foods, and meats.
Elizabeth Borst, director of advocacy for Virginia Fresh Match, said everyone should have the opportunity to access healthy foods.
"Just making sure that people both have access to high-quality food and that quality food is affordable to them," Borst explained. "Fresh fruits and vegetables can often be the last thing that people will choose when they are on a really limited budget, so we want to make sure that is accessible to people."
The Consumer Price Index showed food prices drastically increased between 2022 and 2023, but prices have slightly declined in 2024.
Food insecurity has been a long-standing issue for Virginians. Hunger Free America's 2023 Annual Hunger Survey found almost 774,000 people in Virginia are food insecure. Borst emphasized her group is focusing on its "food is medicine" work to ensure no one goes hungry.
While Virginia Fresh Match has been able to accomplish a lot during its multiyear history, there have been some challenges. Borst observed one long-term challenge has been funding sustainability. Like the rest of the world, the pandemic presented a significant hurdle for them, though it created some interesting changes.
"We just had a huge bump in our redemptions and usage of the program," Borst stressed. "That really didn't taper off even though there's been a 40% decrease in SNAP benefit allotments once the pandemic emergency benefits ended."
Emergency allotments provided all SNAP recipients with an additional $95 per month, affecting 470,000 families across the state.
get more stories like this via email
To reach more hungry families, one Texas nonprofit is setting up mini food markets in schools.
The Tarrant Area Food Bank in North Texas provides 60 million meals a year to families in 13 counties.
It's taking the food directly to school campuses in some lower-income neighborhoods, with what it calls "Ready-to-Learn-in-School Markets."
Food Bank President and CEO Julie Butner said the markets have changed the way they're helping the community.
"And the markets are very much like a retail experience," said Butner, "where the kiddos or the parents can go in and do shopping and get the foods that they want, that they know their families will enjoy."
The area served by the food bank has food insecurity rates that range from just over 10% in Denton County, to more than 17% in Hamilton County.
Butner said more food banks across the country are partnering with school districts to operate on school campuses. She said they hope to have 100 in-school markets by the end of the year.
The markets are established in areas that are deemed food deserts, meaning there isn't a grocery store within a one mile radius of the school - and at least half of the students qualify for free breakfast or lunch.
In addition to addressing the need for food, Butner said the markets also teach valuable skills to students.
"They're helping stock the shelves, helping family members select products, checking family members in that are receiving products," said Butner, "because you do need to qualify in order to enter the market."
According to the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture data, the number of households experiencing food insecurity rose from almost 34 million in 2021 to more than 44 million in 2022.
get more stories like this via email