There is a lot of finger-pointing going on when it comes to who is to blame for the infant formula shortage that has hit our nation as of late. The Abbot facility in Michigan was shut sown over product safety concerns, and that has people wanting to blame the administration. In fact, I have seen those infamous President Biden stickers that read ?I did that? on empty sections of shelving around my place. The same ones that have been on gas pumps around the region as well.
It is always easy to blame leadership when something goes wrong, but one must look at all the details thoroughly to determine blame, and that is something you should do in any situation. Weigh the facts and determine if it is an Administration issue, maybe a plant issue where quality wasn?t respected very highly, or maybe it is an overzealous inspector. That are a lot of variables at play, and you need to look at every avenue, not just the easiest route.
But this isn?t why we are here this morning. We are here to talk not about the blame, but the solution to the issue and where it might be.
The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) Senior Vice President of Trade Policy, Shawna Morris, talked about the situation. She wants customers to be assured that this is not an issue of the availability of milk product ingredients, but a matter of the supply of produced formula.
Morris says the best option at hand is to get the Michigan plant back up and running to get production underway.
Some have questioned whether we should turn to Canada for supplies to help alleviate the situation. Morris says that Canada has their own issues, and supply there is very tight as well. She says this issue is separate from any trade issues we are facing.
