'It's a necessary product': Some parents still struggling to find infant formula
'It's a necessary product': Some parents still struggling to find infant formula
LAKE LOON, N.S. -
When Alicia Willar became a first-time mom in September, she knew she'd have a lot of new experiences.
However, she didn't expect struggling to find baby formula for her daughter would be one of them.
“And then all of the sudden I started her on formula and I was finding it hard to find,” says Willar. “I logged into the mom groups and it's a problem that we're all facing.”
Twelve-week-old Autumn has lactose sensitivity, which means Willar needs a particular type of formula.
She recently managed to find two tubs of her preferred store brand after a dash to a local Walmart, but once she runs out, she may have to switch to what she can find.
“But some moms, their babies are so sensitive, they're not able to do so, and some just can't afford it, because it's three times the price of the store brand,” says Willar.
Experts say the lack of formula on the shelves is continuing fallout from a critical shortage earlier this year after major U.S. manufacturer Abbott Laboratories, which makes the Similac, Alimentum and EleCare varieties, had to temporarily shut down its plant in Sturgis, Mich., due to bacteria contamination. That led the company to voluntarily recall powered formulas.
With those products pulled from shelves, the makers of generic store brands then struggled to make up the difference.
“There's some products out there, but prices have jumped dramatically because of supply chain pressures,” says Sylvain Charlebois of the Dalhousie Agri-Food Analytics Lab.
Charlebois says Canadian retailers rely on those manufacturers south of the border, and those companies are now focusing on restocking domestic retailers first.
Earlier this year, Health Canada approved some formulas to be imported from both the U.S. and the Netherlands to alleviate shortages, a measure that has been extended until the end of next year.
“Unfortunately, the bad news is that we're expecting shortages to continue, until probably mid-2023,” says Charlebois.
Health Canada says any parent having trouble finding their usual formula should speak to a health professional about available alternatives.
It also warns parents not to make homemade formula, or water down formula, which both can put a child's health at risk.
The Retail Council of Canada says stores are doing what they can make sure there’s supply available.
“Things are getting better, but we're still supply-chain challenged,” says Atlantic director Jim Cormier.
“We are hearing that hypoallergenic infant formula product, they’ve returned to the shelves, amino acid formulas are still available but behind the counter,” he adds.
Cormier says some stores may have to limit purchase amounts for now.
“Buy what you need and ensure there is enough there for everybody,” he says. “Because obviously when it comes to infant formula, that’s a necessary product.
In the meantime, Willar and other parents have connected in an online Facebook group, called “Formula Nova Scotia,” to help each other find what they need.
“We post photos of the store that we’re currently at, and what’s in stock there,” she says.
Something they may have to keep doing for at least another year.
A gay man is taking the federal government to court, challenging the constitutionality of a policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned.
Dominic Barton, the former global managing director of McKinsey & Company, says he had no involvement in federal contracts awarded to the firm in recent years.
A Quebec woman said she was very surprised to find her stolen Audi had been used in what’s being described as an “absolutely insane” Ontario mall robbery.
A suicide bomber who killed 101 people at a mosque in northwest Pakistan this week had disguised himself in a police uniform and did not raise suspicion among guards, the provincial police chief said on Thursday.
When the opera 'La Flambeau' premieres next week in Montreal, Black performers will be front and centre in an artistic medium where they have historically been under-represented.
Top European Union officials arrived in Kyiv on Thursday for talks with Ukrainian officials as rescue crews dug through the rubble of an apartment building in eastern Ukraine struck by a Russian missile, killing at least three people and wounding about 20 others.
In Washington progress on police brutality appears difficult, if not unlikely. Bipartisan efforts to reach an agreement on policing legislation stalled more than a year ago, and President Joe Biden ended up instead signing an executive order named for George Floyd, whose murder at the hands of Minneapolis police set off nationwide protests nearly three years ago.
A Quebec woman said she was very surprised to find her stolen Audi had been used in what’s being described as an “absolutely insane” Ontario mall robbery.
Calgary police are looking for suspects involved in an altercation that lasted for approximately an hour, spanned several communities and ended with a gun being fired.
Tsuut'ina Nation Police Service officials are encouraging any local victims to come forward following the arrest of actor Nathan Lee Chasing Horse in Las Vegas on sex assault charges.
After an extremely mild month of January, the province is bracing for a blast of arctic air that will move in tonight and last until Saturday. Environment and Climate Change Canada has issued extreme cold warnings that covers most of the province with wind chills expected to be between -38 and -42 across the South and -50 across Northern Quebec.
Longueuil police (SPAL) arrested Gilles Croteau, 57, in the Saint-Hubert borough on Jan. 24 after an investigation that led to 31 arrests across Quebec for various sex offences, including child pornography possession and production.
A large crowd of around 700 students, faculty members and Lethbridge residents came out on Wednesday to protest a planned speech by Frances Widdowson at the University of Lethbridge that didn't take place.
A gay man is taking the federal government to court, challenging the constitutionality of a policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned.
Wiarton Willie has predicted an early spring! The groundhog in South Bruce Peninsula didn't see his shadow at 8:07 a.m. on Thursday morning, meaning sprin gis on the way.
A Quebec woman said she was very surprised to find her stolen Audi had been used in what’s being described as an “absolutely insane” Ontario mall robbery.
Wiarton Willie has predicted an early spring! The groundhog in South Bruce Peninsula didn't see his shadow at 8:07 a.m. on Thursday morning, meaning sprin gis on the way.
Bostwick Road has reopened following a serious crash on Wednesday evening. Around 7:20 p.m., emergency crews responded to the scene in south London for the incident involving two vehicles.
The organization regulating medical care and services in Manitoba is apologizing for racism directed towards Indigenous people when accessing health care in the province.
A gay man is taking the federal government to court, challenging the constitutionality of a policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned.
Ottawa ranks 45th out of 62 cities across Canada and the United States in a study on downtown recovery, with activity levels at 51 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.
While crews have resumed operations in an attempt to open the Rideau Canal Skateway for its 53rd season, an NCC spokesperson says the canal will not open in time for the first weekend of Winterlude on Friday.
B.C.'s Ministry of Health is continuing its multi-year trend of paying millions more dollars each year to private surgical centres for the delivery of public health care, CTV News has learned.
Changes to the amount of time the public gets to voice their opinion during Surrey City Council meetings has caused controversy among former councillors.
The Saskatchewan Environmental Society (SES) is drawing their line in the sand on the controversial Saskatchewan First Act, calling it “bad news” for the environment, economy, and the province’s energy future.
A homicide investigation is underway on Quadra Island, B.C., after a 39-year old woman was found dead in what investigators believe was a targeted killing.
Alberta's former chief medical officer of health has landed a new role in British Columbia. Dr. Deena Hinshaw was named a deputy provincial health officer for B.C. on Wednesday.
