Former FDA official says supply chain still vulnerable to another formula shortage

March 28 (UPI) -- A former regulator with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned lawmakers Tuesday the American supply chain remains susceptible to another crisis that could lead to a shortage of infant formula.

Zeroing in on "multiple microcultures," Frank Yiannas, former FDA deputy commissioner for food policy and response, told the House Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services the agency is in need of a culture change.

"It is my view that the state of the infant formula industry today is not much different than it was then," Yiannas told the committee.

He told bipartisan lawmakers, the FDA needs more than simple corrective action, adding the agency's compartmentalized structure hampered its ability to respond.

Yiannas spent four years at the FDA, helping to lead the response to the baby formula shortage last year.

A formula shortage gripped the United States last year, with some states experiencing shortages above 50% of what they would normally have on-hand at times.

Empty store shelves sent parents scrambling, while U.S. President Joe Biden launched an operation to import large shipments of formula from Europe.

Criminals also took advantage of the shortage, profiting on the soaring price of any available formula. A New York man pleaded guilty earlier this month to committing more than $1.5 million worth of fraud related to formula.

Yiannas reiterated Tuesday that it would not take much effort to push the United States back into a similar position.

"In other words, the nation remains one outbreak, tornado, flood or cyberattack away from finding itself in a similar place to that of February 17, 2022," he told the committee, as it looks to prevent a similar shortage.

Major formula producer Abbott Nutrition was forced to close its manufacturing facility in Michigan for months following a contamination-related recall, kicking off the shortage. The plant reopened last June.

"Sometimes, it only takes one question to get to the heart of the problem. Infant formula manufacturers STILL aren't required to report bacterial contamination in factories to @US_FDA. Congress needs to act before there's another crisis," Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., the committee's ranking member tweeted Tuesday following the hearing.