Suffolk holds formula drive to help parents cope with shortage

Suffolk officials, Island Harvest Food Bank and Northwell Health announced a collaborative effort to help parents cope with the severe baby formula shortage.
Suffolk County leaders announced an emergency effort to collect donated baby formula at various drop off locations throughout the county. The formula will then be given to Island Harvest Food Bank for distribution.

Parents hope this will alleviate some of the strain caused by the shortage that has parents scrambling to find formula for their infants.
“I can't imagine the very basic need of life to feed your child and some of the formulas are very specific and manufactured in such a way that it's the only thing the child can have. So I hope it resolves itself very quickly,” says Jeannie Moskwa, of Sayville.

As News 12 has reported, the recent formula recall and shutdown of Abbott's manufacturing plant in Michigan, on top of the current labor shortage and supply chain issues, contributed to the recent crisis. A crisis the FDA is trying to end soon.
 “We're doing everything we can 24/7 to work on this and get it right," says Dr. Rob Califf, Food and Drug Administration commissioner. "Over time, they should have a big effect because we will have access to a lot more formula from different manufacturers. This will improve over a period of a few weeks."