KANSAS CITY, Mo. — According to the Food and Drug Administration, parents are being warned to not use certain types of formula after two infants died and two more were hospitalized with bacterial infections.
The recalled brands involve certain types of Similac, Alimentum and ElecCare, which are powdered infant formulas that were produced in Sturgis, Michigan.
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Now, local parents tell the KSHB 41 I-Team the recall leading to a formula shortage on store shelves.
It's hitting some families especially hard, including Ashley Paul, a mother in Kansas City, Missouri.
As a mom of four, Paul relies on the Women, Infants and Children program (WIC), to help pay for baby formula.
But, per WIC guidelines, she says she could only use her WIC card to buy Similac, one of the very brands currently under recall.
"Of course, as soon as it happened, my family members were sending me a bunch of emails letting me know," Paul said. "So, I checked the cans and all of our cans were recalled."
Even though not all types of Similac formula are impacted, Paul's daughter can only keep down the line for sensitive stomachs, and that is one of the recalled items.
"There are some other formulas on the shelves, but it’s nothing that my baby will take," she said.
Paul says she called WIC and was initially told there was nothing they could do.
The I-Team reached out and a Missouri WIC representative confirmed it took about four days to get temporary waivers from the USDA to approve other brands.
"Because we operate under a federal grant with very specific regulations, we have to obtain waivers in order to deviate from the guidelines set by the grant," the WIC representative told the I-Team.
However, even now that WIC recipients have more options for approved brands, many parents are complaining simply finding formula is a problem right now.
It's something the I-Team noticed when we went to various locations in the Kansas City area.
"I went to Price chopper nearby and they didn’t have anything, then there was a Walmart nearby that was supposed to have another kind available with my WIC and they didn’t actually have it in stock either," Paul said.
Thankfully, Paul was finally able to find a different brand of sensitive formula, something that will hold her daughter over for awhile.
She just hopes she'll find more available options on store shelves when this runs out.
But, it's not just finding formula. Paul says at least initially she had a tough time returning recalled formula.
She said some locations wouldn't accept the return without a receipt and some wouldn't let her return more than one can of formula at a time.
Of those locations she tried, she said Hy-Vee was the only location that was able to help her.
The I-Team reached out to Hy-Vee.
In addition to saying they were pleased they were able to assist her, they offered the following information for returning recalled formula:
- If you recently purchased any Similac product that was impacted, you can return it for a full refund or exchange for a similar formula product;
- The products under the recall have a multi-digit number on the bottom of the container starting with the first two digits 22 through 37, contains K8, SH, or Z2 and with an expiration date of April 1, 2022, or after;
- Any impacted products were immediately removed from our shelves as soon as we received word from the manufacturer;
- For a listing of impacted products, visit similacrecall.com.
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