‘How am I going to feed my baby?’ Brooklyn mother struggles to find formula amid shortage

The supply chain shortages have been hitting businesses hard, and now they’re impacting mothers trying to feed their babies.

News 12 Staff

Jan 25, 2022, 3:26 AM

Updated 982 days ago

Share:

The supply chain shortages have been hitting businesses hard, and now they’re impacting mothers trying to feed their babies.
Annie Malii, of Brooklyn, says she is struggling to find baby formula to feed her newborn daughter, Lazer.
“I actually cried when I was speaking to the store manager because I was terrified,” she says. “How am I going to feed my baby?
Mallii says she checked everywhere, from drug stores to local pharmacies, but only found empty shelves.
"It's depressing because you want the best for your child and it's not like I'm struggling financially or anything. It's just that it's not available,” she says.
Mallii says after she gave birth to her baby prematurely back in December, Lazer spent a month in the neonatal intensive care unit. During that time, her breast milk dried up.
She now relies on a specific type of baby formula, which she has to go through great lengths to get.
“One of my friends from Colorado caught wind of it and she ended up ordering me some milk, I believe on Amazon,” Mallii says. “So, if you can imagine all the way from Colorado having to receive milk when I’m in Brooklyn, New York— it's unbelievable."
A spokesperson for Walgreens says demand for baby formula is high across the nation right now. While there may be temporary shortages of specific products, they say they are working with suppliers to boost the company’s supply.
Malii says she's trying to raise awareness of this problem that countless mothers are facing. For now, she only has one pack left of formula and is worried about what will come next.
“I have enough probably to last me until the end of this month,” she says. “But again, that scares me. What happens next month and the month after that?"