"Within the last week or so or two weeks, we’ve noticed where there hasn’t been any on the shelves," Simms said.
That’s because there’s a national shortage and that’s on top of continuous pandemic-related supply chain issues. For Simms, baby formula is a necessity for her three-month-old, Saryah.
"We’re going in the store, and we’re able to get food and things for everyone else in the household," Simms said. "But this little, bitty pure life doesn’t have anything."
Jeff McKnight manages Sullivan’s Marketplace, that’s a local grocery store in Gluckstadt. He said distributors are limiting the amount of baby formula his store receives. Typically, he’s able to order eight to 10 pallets of baby formula to stock in store, but that’s changed.
"I could order 10. They may give me two. They’re just trying to more or less spread the love, trying to get a little bit of baby formula here and there," McKnight said.
The formula that he does get sells out immediately.
"Word of mouth gets out, gets out on Facebook or any kind of social media," McKnight said. "They see, hear we got it, and they come get it.":
To fill in the gaps, community organizations across Mississippi – like the Diaper Bank of the Delta in Clarksdale – are taking to social media to give out baby formula to families in need. Experts advise families to contact their child’s pediatrician – if they have one – for baby formula samples and to never dilute baby formula or try homemade recipes.
