Baby formula shortage: FDA chief admits federal regulators were 'too slow' to act

The shortage has disproportionately impacted low-income families and babies that require specialty formulas.It's also a situation that is "unacceptable – and worse – it was totally preventable," DeGette said.The Abbott recall turned the U.S. shortage "into a tailspin," she said, but she also laid blame with the FDA, criticizing the agency for a slow response and slower communication to the public.Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., the ranking member on the committee, questioned why it took the FDA more than three months to address this shortage. FDA inspectors conducted a routine inspection at the plant that day and for the next three days, ultimately finding the facility in a "clean and sanitary condition."Abbott has said there is no conclusive evidence to link its formulas to the cronobacter infections in infants. Baby formula shortage worsens:About 40% of popular brands sold out across USA "for cause" inspection was not conducted at the plant until Jan. 31, more than four months after the whistleblower reached out to the FDA. "The FDA didn't have to read minds...they just had to read their own data," she said.The baby formula shortage will drag on at least another month, according to testimony Wednesday.