Bill Overview
Title: Emergency Infant Formula Act
Description: This bill addresses the shortage of infant formula in the United States, including by authorizing the President to take certain actions to expedite the importation of such formula. Specifically, the bill authorizes the President to declare through an executive order that a shortage of infant formula exists in the United States. Additionally, the President may authorize the importation, distribution, and sale of any covered infant formula if the applicable brand, manufacturer, manufacturing plant, or the specific infant formula product is included in the executive order. Covered infant formula generally refers to any infant formula that is lawfully marketed in the European Union, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, or any country the President determines has sufficient health and safety standards with respect to infant formula. The bill exempts imported infant formula from U.S. labeling requirements. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must require retailers of imported infant formula to place a label on the product indicating it has not been approved by the FDA. The bill also authorizes the President to reduce or suspend any duties on the importation of covered infant formula or articles used in the production of infant formula. U.S. Customs and Border Protection must give the highest priority and take steps as necessary to expedite the processing of all entries of covered infant formula and articles used in the production of infant formula.
Sponsors: Rep. Sherman, Brad [D-CA-30]
Target Audience
Population: People reliant on infant formula globally
Estimated Size: 3000000
- The shortage impacts families with infants who rely on formula for nutrition.
- Infant formula is a primary source of nutrition for infants who are not breastfed.
- The legislation aims to address the shortage by increasing the supply through imports.
- Importation from countries with high health and safety standards may alleviate shortages temporarily.
- The exemption from labeling requirements indicates a move to quickly integrate foreign products into the U.S. market.
Reasoning
- The policy primarily targets families with infants who depend on formula. However, not everyone will be equally affected; some families may already have access to alternative sources of formula or might choose breastfeeding due to cultural or personal reasons.
- The expedited importation mechanism should have a moderate to high impact on families currently experiencing shortages, potentially enhancing availability significantly.
- For families not affected by the shortage, the policy might have negligible or no impact. These families are included in the interviews to gauge a comprehensive range of potential reactions.
- The policy may ease economic burdens temporarily by lowering formula costs through tariff reductions, but long-term effects will involve monitoring given possible changes in market dynamics.
- The combination of impactful strategies—labeling exemptions, expedited import processes, and tariff reductions—suggests focused relief for affected families. However, attention must be given to health safety perceptions due to labeling exemptions.
- The limited budget implies that the policy's impact will need to be highly targeted and efficiently managed. Since the budget is constrained, the actual coverage could vary significantly between urban and rural areas.
Simulated Interviews
Stay-at-home mom (Chicago, IL)
Age: 32 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 1.0 years
Commonness: 4/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I'm worried about the ongoing formula shortage—it creates a lot of stress for feeding my children.
- The policy sounds helpful since it could bring more formula options, but I'm concerned about potential safety issues without the usual labeling.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 5 | 5 | 3 |
| Year 10 | 5 | 3 |
| Year 20 | 4 | 2 |
Engineer (Houston, TX)
Age: 29 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 1.0 years
Commonness: 5/20
Statement of Opinion:
- We haven't faced a major issue with formula yet, but hearing about shortages does make me anxious.
- I'd welcome the idea of having quicker access to more formula, but the labeling exemption raises a red flag for safety.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 3 |
Retail worker (Los Angeles, CA)
Age: 24 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 4
Duration of Impact: 2.0 years
Commonness: 6/20
Statement of Opinion:
- The formula has been ridiculously hard to find sometimes and really expensive.
- I'm hoping the policy can make it cheaper and easier to find what my baby needs.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 3 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 3 |
| Year 5 | 5 | 2 |
| Year 10 | 4 | 2 |
| Year 20 | 4 | 1 |
Small business owner (Detroit, MI)
Age: 38 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 1.0 years
Commonness: 3/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Honestly, I hadn't faced any major issues yet with the formula.
- But if there's a shortage, increasing availability makes sense; just worried about quality and trust.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 3 |
Pediatric nurse (Albany, NY)
Age: 45 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 3.0 years
Commonness: 5/20
Statement of Opinion:
- For a lot of parents I work with, the formula shortage is a real issue.
- I'm glad to see action that could ease the pressure on parents, but I also know parents will worry about import labels.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 3 |
IT specialist (Seattle, WA)
Age: 30 | Gender: other
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 2.0 years
Commonness: 2/20
Statement of Opinion:
- We've structured our schedule around formula availability already.
- Anything to make it more available is good, but I'm cautious about skipping the FDA labels.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 5 | 3 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 3 |
Teacher (Mobile, AL)
Age: 26 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 1.5 years
Commonness: 5/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Switching from breastfeeding to formula was harder than expected with the current shortage.
- This policy could help, but there can't be compromises on safety just to speed things up.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 5 | 5 | 3 |
| Year 10 | 5 | 3 |
| Year 20 | 4 | 2 |
Chef (Phoenix, AZ)
Age: 34 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 1.0 years
Commonness: 4/20
Statement of Opinion:
- We've noticed a few shortages but nothing that's stopped us entirely.
- It seems like this policy could be a good backup plan for us.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 5 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 5 | 3 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 3 |
Graduate student (Newark, NJ)
Age: 27 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 4
Duration of Impact: 2.0 years
Commonness: 3/20
Statement of Opinion:
- It's been tough balancing school, work, and getting formula.
- If this works, my life would be a bit easier, but quality standards must be clear.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 3 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 3 |
| Year 5 | 5 | 2 |
| Year 10 | 4 | 2 |
| Year 20 | 4 | 1 |
Financial consultant (Miami, FL)
Age: 40 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 2.0 years
Commonness: 2/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Thankfully, we've mostly managed without too much trouble so far.
- It's good to be better prepared, and I understand about imports needed soon, but I hope the U.S. can find a long-term solution.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 3 |
Cost Estimates
Year 1: $100000000 (Low: $50000000, High: $150000000)
Year 2: $0 (Low: $0, High: $0)
Year 3: $0 (Low: $0, High: $0)
Year 5: $0 (Low: $0, High: $0)
Year 10: $0 (Low: $0, High: $0)
Year 100: $0 (Low: $0, High: $0)
Key Considerations
- The rapid integration of imported infant formula is crucial due to the nutritional dependency of infants on these products.
- Administrative and operational procedures must be expeditiously adapted.
- Long-term integration of this policy will require consideration of market dependencies and potential disruptions.
- Careful consideration of the health standards of imported formulas is essential.