Politics & Government
Baby Formula Shortage Affects Low-Income Miami Moms
Visit any Miami-area grocery store, and you'll likely see empty shelves where cans of baby formula once stood, a national shortage.
May 31, 2022
Find out what's happening in Miamifor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The baby formula shortage, reflected by empty or nearly empty shelves in local stores, like this Walmart in North Miami Beach, is impacting increasingly anxious local parents.
Find out what's happening in Miamifor free with the latest updates from Patch.
(Gabriela Enamorado for The Miami Times)
Visit any Miami-area grocery store and you’ll likely see empty shelves where cans of baby formula once stood. The nationwide shortage has Miami mothers struggling to find formula, and frantically going from store to store to find what’s now a rare commodity.
Parents are struggling to meet their babies needs and those of low income, usually Black or brown, are suffering most. The formula shortage that began last year in November became progressively worse in February, after one of the largest baby formula suppliers in the country recalled several major brands.
Sasha Ortiz is the mother of an 8-month-old in Hialeah who relies on baby formula. The one she needs is Enfamil Gentlease. Her family currently depends on her boyfriend’s income while she focuses on motherhood, and locating formula for her daughter has become a trying challenge.
Sasha Ortiz, mother of one.
(Sasha Ortiz)
“Most of the time, my boyfriend has to go to multiple different stores to get the formula,” Ortiz told The Miami Times. “At Publix, you have to go to customer service to get it and they limit your quantities. It’s been pretty annoying, to say the least.”
Ortiz gets help from Women, Infants & Children (WIC), a federal program that works to ensure proper nutrition for mothers and children in low-income populations. She receives seven cans of formula a month from WIC, but that’s not nearly enough to keep her baby fed.
“It’s not always enough,” said Ortiz. “It helps, but it’s not enough. I’ve known people who have gotten more, but I don’t know what it’s based on.”
In Miami Gardens, Angeles Pierre is facing a similar problem. After walking down the baby formula aisle at her local Publix, she wasn’t able to find the Enfamil her baby needs. This was the second grocery store she had visited on the day we met her, after stopping by her local Walmart to find empty formula shelves there as well.
Near-empty baby formula shelves like this one in a Miami Publix are the norm across the country.
(Gabriela Enamorado for The Miami Times)
Pierre is a Black woman on a budget who also relies on WIC to help provide baby formula. She receives seven cans a month from WIC and goes to Publix once a week to search for more.
“Sometimes I go to Walmart, Winn-Dixie or smaller grocery stores, but I can never find the formula I need,” she said.
Pierre is physically able to breastfeed, but like many mothers, she doesn’t always have the time to do it.
“I think it’s great that some women have the option to breastfeed, but I work a lot and don’t always have the time to [do that],” she said. “I can only ever breastfeed in the mornings if I have the time and maybe at night before my baby goes to sleep.”
All over Miami, mothers have similar stories. Racial and economic disparities impacting who has access to needed resources have become even more stark. Organizations such as the Healthy Start Coalition of Miami-Dade (HSCMD) recognize the inequities and are working to close the gap.
Jeannette Torres, Interim CEO, Healthy Start Coalition of Miami-Dade
(HSCMD)
Jeannette Torres, interim CEO of HSCMD, is working toward providing equal resources to women of all backgrounds.
“I think, especially for nonprofits, it is the No.1 goal to minimize or delete those racial and economic disparities,” she said. “It is impossible to say that some communities aren’t affected by the shortage more. Unfortunately, that is just the reality right now.”
HSCMD partners with WIC, and one of the ways they’re working together is by establishing a streamlined process for referrals.
“For all the cases we receive, not just this issue in particular, but services that come with nutrition or breastfeeding support, we have what is called a ‘warm transfer,’” said Torres. “Since it is coming from us, in less than 24 hours, WIC is contacting the client. That’s the No. 1 collaboration we have with WIC. They receive the case immediately and contact [the parent] right away. Not only for formula but breastfeeding as well.”
Torres says HSCMD offers free services and supports mothers from the time they are pregnant until their child turns 3. HSCMD provides care case management, mental health support and breastfeeding support.
“Breastfeeding is definitely the best option, not only for the baby but for the mom,” she said. “I do understand that for X, Y, Z reasons some moms are unable to do so. We tend to judge them right away. For those that tend to judge, I think they need to be aware how difficult it is for some. It’s not only a decision for the mom, but also the family. The mom needs to have that support.”
Sharon Burbelo, Maternal Family Health Liaison, Jackson Memorial Hospital
(Jackson Memorial Hospital)
Sharon Burbelo, a maternal family health liaison at Jackson Memorial Hospital, says it provides all moms, regardless of race or economic status, the same opportunities to become educated on breastfeeding and its benefits.
“We are able to assist mothers in all that they need in their breastfeeding journey,” said Burbelo. “We have the support, the tools and the knowledge to help them so they are able to feed their babies successfully at the breast. The staff is well-educated in helping mothers latch their babies, position their babies, get moms comfortable, help moms with their hydration and setting a quiet environment so it’s conducive to breastfeeding.”
Jackson – a public hospital – welcomes everyone regardless of insurance and has all types of plans in place.
“Breast is best and here at Jackson we are ready to help moms any day and night, no matter how old the baby is,” said Burbelo.
The Miami Times is the largest Black-owned newspaper in the south serving Miami's Black community since 1923. The award-winning weekly is frequently recognized as the best Black newspaper in the country by the National Newspaper Publishers Association.
