Help Ease NYC Baby Formula Shortage, Women Lawmakers Say To Mayor

QUEENS, NY — Almost every woman on the majority-woman City Council called on the mayor to take action amid a worsening nationwide baby formula shortage.

In a letter co-authored by Forest Hills Council Member Lynn Schulman and Manhattan member Julie Menin and signed by 28 women Council members, lawmakers urged Mayor Eric Adams to suspend procurement laws and immediately purchase more baby formula and send inspectors to stores to stop price gouging.

"To protect the over 100,000 infants born in the last year in New York City, we urge you to implement these recommendations without further delay," the letter reads.

Pandemic-related supply issues, coupled with a recent voluntary recall from one of the nation's largest formula producers, has reduced nationwide in-stock formula options by more than 40 percent this month, leaving parents scrambling to find enough food for their children.

Lawmakers said the shortage is putting the "health and development" of the city's babies at risk.

The shortage is particularly hard on lower-income families who buy specific formulas covered by federal programs like WIC, the letter points out.

"The City of New York must purchase international and domestic baby formula that meets federal nutrient requirements which can be distributed to low-income New Yorkers who are in dire need," the letter reads.

Governor Kathy Hochul said last week the state is monitoring the shortages and working with manufacturers to increase formula shipments, including for WIC participants.

For Schulman, who chairs the Council's Health Committee and has put equitable healthcare access at the forefront of her political platform, the issue hits close to home.

"As someone who previously worked with Healthcare workers and Moms of newborns in a hospital setting, I know how important baby formula is to the health and well-being of babies," she said in a written statement to Patch.

"This is a time to advocate for new Moms who are struggling to feed their newborns amidst a shortage of baby formula."

As the letter pointed out, many of the Council members who signed onto the demands are themselves mothers, too.

"Many of us are mothers and we are calling on you to take immediate action that will ensure the City is taking every effort to mitigate this dangerous shortage and get children the nourishment they need," the letter reads.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Mayor Eric Adams hadn't responded publicly to the letter.

Read the full letter here.