Families scrambling to feed children as baby formula insecurity highest in San Antonio

SAN ANTONIO - Baby formula insecurity in San Antonio is reaching an all time high.

New data from Datasembly shows San Antonio retailers have a 56% out-of-stock rate (OOS) with baby formula - the highest of any metro area in the country.

Texas is one of seven states over 40%.

"But for the last month or so, every time I go to the store, the shelves are depleted,” Katie McCall, a San Antonio mother, said.

Empty shelves reminiscent of the early days of the pandemic.

Parents like McCall resorting to other avenues to get formula for her son Reese. But even those are running dry.

“And it got to the point where we normally do our order through Amazon and do this Subscribe and Save auto delivery,” McCall said. “And our delivery got a notification, it wasn't coming."

Abbott nutrition makes the three most widely used brands of baby formula. In February they recalled all of their products after the Food and Drug Administration found a bacteria in some of them.

In a normal year, the shelves of the San Antonio food bank are stocked with baby food, formula, and all other sorts of things that family's need. But with the supply shortage and the recall, just a couple of pallets are all they have.

And families are searching far and wide to get their hands on formula.

“Essentially everything that we get in in those categories is immediately going out,” Melanie McGuire, the Chief Programs officer for the San Antonio food bank, said. "That perfect storm of having a high demand and a limited supply means that it has been really difficult for us."

Dr. Cynthia Blanco, a neonatologist at University Hospital, says if you can, begin breastfeeding.

But immediately consult your pediatrician to figure out your options.

"I Would just advocate for the parents to really talk to their pediatricians and ask So what are the other comparable formulas that I can switch my kid to or my infant to,” Dr. Blanco said.

Dr. Blanco added that nobody should ever dilute formula.

“It can actually cause the babies to have low sodium and low number of electrolytes in their body that they can even get to seizures and get hospitalized for it,” Blanco said.

Reese is almost one, so his formula days are nearly done.

But McCall says this is going to continue to be a huge issue for thousands of mothers.

"Every time I go to the store I see that the shelves are empty, and it breaks my heart to think about the people with two month old’s, you know, are newborns that need this and can't get it,” McCall said.

Dr. Blanco added switching brands can help, as well as making sure you are trying to use normal formula for healthy baby’s and not the specialized formula unless absolutely necessary.

Dr. Blanco said working with your dietitian and pediatrician is key until stock gets back to normal.