The effects of a national shortage of baby formula in recent years are still being felt in Macon.
The Food and Drug Administration failed to identify mounting risks that contributed to the infant formula shortage before it occurred in 2022, according to a report released last month by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General.
When Abbott Laboratories, the nation’s largest infant formula manufacturer, temporarily shut down and issued a massive recall due to whistle blower complaints of contamination and health concerns, Macon mothers scrambled to find food for their babies.
More than two years later, ongoing effects of the formula shortage linger in the county, emotionally and mentally impacting worrisome mothers, said Ann Beall, director of the Kolbe Center.
“While the formula shortage itself may be over, there are still mamas impacted by that because they are terrified of it happening again,” she said. “Some of them who come in still have trouble finding formula, but another piece of it is the insecure feeling of running out of supplies or never having enough.”
About 20% of parents reported difficulty accessing infant formula in the summer of 2023, the U.S Census Bureau reported in April. That figure plummeted by 35% from the previous year, as the pandemic ended and more supplies returned to stores, the agency’s report added.
The Kolbe Center faced major challenges in obtaining formula for local families during the shortage, Beall said. Despite the current drop in assistance, she is now concerned with how the shortage contributes to Macon mothers’ ability to afford to feed their infants.
“The population that we serve are the most vulnerable,” she said. “They went through a pandemic. They went through a formula shortage. Now, they’ve gone through the unprecedented inflation of our lifetime. I hurt for the mamas that we serve. It is so hard for them to take care of their children in today’s environment.”
The Kolbe Center served 608 families in 2022, up 66% from the previous year. The amount increased in 2023, when the facility supplied 1,812 families with needs for infants, Beall said.
Using social media for help
In 2023, nearly 33% of households reported that they received formula from loved ones or others as a way of coping with the shortage, according to the Census Bureau.
Mothers turned to social media and relied on discounted or donated powdered formula. Members of Middle Georgia Facebook groups have spearheaded community efforts.
Evie Jackson of Macon is a mother of six and grandmother to a 14-month-old girl who is outgrowing everyday baby essentials. Jackson, a member of roughly five local social media groups catered to helping others, said she has gifted free powdered formula, diapers and clothing to local mothers for the past year.
“It feels great knowing you’re helping a mom out because at one time, I was a young, struggling mom,” Jackson said.
Jackson said almost every time she logs on, she sees someone in need of assistance.
During the nationwide crisis, there were warnings about online scammers preying on Georgia mothers who were desperate for food sources. However, Jackson said she enjoys how the web-based support networks connect her with other mothers in the area.
“One mom asked for food, and I told her I’d give her whatever I had,” Jackson said. “We actually began talking, and now I’m giving her everything I can find because she needs items really bad.”
‘It’s not going away’
Jamie Lackey, CEO of Helping Mamas , said the baby formula shortage in 2022 was stressful for both the nonprofit organization and Georgia mothers because “there’s just no substitution for the very thing that feeds your child.”
“So, there was this extra layer of fear,” Lackey said. “Now, we’ve seen a steady increase in people needing services. I’ve just never seen a steady rise of need like we’ve had over the last two years. It’s not going away.”
Lackey said she’s unsure if the high demand is a direct result of the shortage, or if the shortage highlighted resources and made people aware they were eligible for them, so they are seeking more help now.
“A part of me wonders if there were always these folks that really did need help, but they just didn’t know where to go,” she added.
Helping Mamas served about 32,000 people in Macon in 2023, the group’s largest service number in non-metro counties, according to Lackey, who credited the surge to the organization’s recent cooperation with the Macon-Bibb Health Department.
One of the main ongoing effects of the baby formula shortage is the lingering sense of uncertainty that families have and makes them question whether help will be available when needed, Lackey said.
“A really big thing we’re seeing is that families are constantly trying to make sure they have access to what they need so they’re not back in the same situation before then, which was very frightening,” she said.
Both Beall and Lackey expressed gratitude for the opportunity to assist mothers and were delighted that communities see them as valuable resources.
Additional resources for local parents who struggle to find formula, and other baby items:
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