The media has made a huge case that Americans are experiencing shortages in every category of products. We heard that due to global supply chain issues, mostly driven by the pandemic, consumer demand is at an all-time high. American manufacturers and our government starting in the 60s and 70s were greedy and short-sighted. We saw the availability of cheap labor and a so-called “efficient logistical path” and decided to move our manufacturing offshore. We can only blame ourselves. Today, we manufacture extraordinarily little! Some politicians tell us that they want to “Make America Great Again.” That is not an easy solution to solve these issues.
Besides moving manufacturing offshore, in many industries, the manufacturing of goods and services became concentrated within a few companies. I remember when I was asked how much of my products were produced by one company. If Paper Warehouse, the company I owned, would of had 80% of products supplied by one company, Paper Warehouse would not have been allowed to go to public.
To bring this discussion to current times. We have a shortage of baby formula. The manufacturing of this product is concentrated within 3 or 4 companies. Abbott controls 40% and the balance is with Mead Johnston and 1 or 2 others. Abbott has been shut down due to a bacterial problem. The remaining companies have not been able to fill vacuum. There is a national panic that we do not have alternative backup plans to solve this issue. The FDA is pointing fingers at a variety of sources.
I ask these questions:
- Where are our pediatricians and their scientific associates?
- Why have they not come up with an alternative so we can get the nourishment our infants need without the Abbotts and others?
- Why is it taking the government so long to find alternative resources for buying the product?
Shortages of autos, furniture, white goods, and other household product are one issue. Baby formula is another more critical problem. The acquisition of baby formula is not something you can postpone. If a family is out of it we need an immediate alternative.
The American public does not want to hear about going back to what our parents did in the 40s and 50s. The US public is impatient and has been spoiled by the former ever-present supply and does not want to be inconvenienced.
We Better Wake Up.
The baby formula issue is only the start of our shortage problems. Americans have to quit crying while the shortages exist and develop concrete alternatives.