The White House didn’t initially believe that the closure of one baby formula manufacturer could lead to widespread shortages across the US, President Joe Biden admitted on Wednesday.
“I don’t think anyone anticipated the impact of the shutdown of one facility,” Biden said during a meeting with executives of five baby food companies. “Once we learned of the extent of it and how broad it was, we kicked everything into gear.”
“I think we’re on the way to… completely solve the problem,” the president added. He also defended the decision to shut down the Michigan plant. “The last thing we should ever do is allow unsafe formula to be sold to parents.”
Baby formula shortages have increased across the country in recent weeks. The supply-chain issues were sparked by the shutdown of the leading baby food manufacturing plant in Michigan, which is operated by Abbott Laboratories, in February due to contamination concerns.