A baby-formula shortage feeds criticism of corporate heft and price gouging
The former is a valid concern. The latter is a misleading distraction
![Ashley Aguirre, 20, feeds her one-month-old son in San Antonio, Texas, on May 10, 2022. The national shortage of baby formula highlights four larger problems with the U.S. economy. (Kaylee Greenlee/The New York Times)Credit: New York Times / Redux / eyevineFor further information please contact eyevinetel: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709e-mail: info@eyevine.comwww.eyevine.com](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/media-assets/image/20220521_FNP002.jpg)
Shoppers have become all too familiar with the fragility of supply chains. In America the latest product missing from supermarket shelves is infant formula. Whereas previous shortages, affecting everything from cars to couches, presented an inconvenience, a lack of nourishment for babies creates serious health risks. So the administration has swung into action. On May 16th the Food and Drug Administration (fda) said America would loosen restrictions on imports of formula. Two days later, President Joe Biden invoked the Defence Production Act to boost domestic production.
This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “Powder keg”
Finance & economics May 21st 2022
- Global growth is slowing, but not stopping—yet
- Even China’s official economic figures look bleak
- A baby-formula shortage feeds criticism of corporate heft and price gouging
- Why crypto’s bruising comedown matters
- Offset markets struggle in the face of surging commodity prices
- Is China “uninvestible”?
- India’s once-vaunted statistical infrastructure is crumbling
- How to unleash more investment in intangible assets
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