While it could take weeks or even months to alleviate the nation-wide baby formula shortage, women of color and low-income families will bear the brunt of the crisis.
Just four companies – Abbott, Reckitt, Nestlé and Perrigo – account for 89 percent of the baby formula market in the U.S.
"Can you think about what the country would look like if four companies made a product like flour? We'd be in crisis," Davis told Know Your Value.
Coming from a low-income background does not guarantee that parents can even qualify for WIC. Alexis Perry, a stay-home-mom from Rhode Island, told Know Your Value that she has a son who was born with a rare food allergy that affects his GI tract: food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome.At two years old, her son, Ja'Zekiel, relies on infant formula to maintain a healthy weight.
When Perry received a mail notice that her son’s Similac had been recalled, she switched him to a different, allergy-friendly formula. But Alfamino Junior couldn't be purchased in stores and proved difficult to find online amid the shortage. Ja'Zekiel wasn’t gaining any weight when she gave him alternatives like soy and almond milk either. In fact, he grew sicker."I was trying just to supplement what I could, but not having the formula affected him," Perry said.