(NEW YORK) — Following an internal investigation, Abbott Nutrition said it will resume production of Similac, Alimentum and EleCare baby formulas once the Food and Drug Administration gives the company the green light.
The latest update from Abbott comes amid a national baby formula shortage that has only grown worse in the last three months, with an estimated 40% of formula brands out of stock at stores nationwide as of April 24, according to tracking firm Datasembly. Stores like CVS and Walgreens also previously confirmed to Good Morning America that they were limiting formula purchases to three per customer due to short supplies.
Parents have also been speaking out about the crisis and the White House said the FDA is “working around the clock” to address the problem.
The outcry even spurred Utah Sen. Mitt Romney to urge the FDA and the Department of Agriculture “to initiate contingency plans to mitigate shortages that risk the lives of infants across the nation” in a letter released Tuesday. South Dakota House Rep. Dusty Johnson also released a letter Wednesday, questioning the FDA’s “lack of action” on the formula shortages.
Abbott halted production in February after Similac, Alimentum and EleCare products were recalled due to bacterial infections that led to two infant deaths. The FDA and Abbott launched investigations into the baby formula products and FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert M. Califf said Tuesday in a statement, “We are doing everything in our power to ensure there is adequate product available where and when they need it.”
Abbott released its own statement Wednesday and said a “thorough review” had been completed. “There is no evidence to link our formulas to these infant illnesses,” the company said in part.
Abbott also said it has been responding to feedback from an FDA inspection that included a list of suggested improvements for their manufacturing facility in Sturgis, Michigan.
“Subject to FDA approval, we could restart the site within two weeks,” the company said. “We would begin production of EleCare, Alimentum and metabolic formulas first and then begin production of Similac and other formulas.”
The formula maker estimated new products would be available on store shelves six to eight weeks after manufacturing.
“We deeply regret the situation and since the recall, we’ve been working to increase supply at our other FDA-registered facilities, including bringing in Similac from our site in Cootehill, Ireland, by air and producing more liquid Similac and Alimentum,” the company added. “We also began releasing metabolic formulas that were on hold earlier this month at FDA’s request to those who need these unique formulas.”
As families continue to navigate through formula shortages, experts warn that caregivers remember two key points: Do not dilute baby formula and do not make your own formula.
Diluting formula can lead to nutritional deficiencies and be life-threatening for babies. Making your own formula and feeding it to a baby can also lead to injury or even death, if the correct amount and type of nutrients are insufficient. The FDA provides additional formula guidelines on its website.
(WASHINGTON) — Inflation eased slightly last month, according to the latest figures released Wednesday by the Labor Department.
The Consumer Price Index rose 8.3% in April compared to the same time period last year — a drop from the 8.5% increase in March.
Month-to-month, prices were up 0.3% last month compared to March. Increases in prices for shelter, food, airline fares and new vehicles were the largest contributors to the increase, the Labor Department said.
(NEW YORK) — For snack purists, original Goldfish may be the perfect poppable bite, but for those in search of something bolder than cheddar or parmesan, there’s a new line that adds a cult-favorite flavor to the mix.
Goldfish hooked up with Old Bay to create a limited-time offering made with the zesty, bold taste of Old Bay.
Fans of the Baltimore-based seafood seasoning brand are notoriously passionate about the blend of 18 herbs and spices used on everything from crab boils to a limited-time hot sauce that sold out within an hour of release in 2020.
“The Old Bay and Goldfish teams knew they had to join forces to deliver a delicious, one-of-a-kind snacking for fans and foodies, alike,” a representative for the brand said in a statement.
The popular spice blends black pepper, paprika, celery salt and red pepper flakes to complement the classic taste of Goldfish.
The new Goldfish will roll out nationwide with a limited quantity available on the McCormick website in early May.
Each 6.6-ounce bag will be sold for $2.79 and can be found at a nearby location using the Pepperidge Farm website.
This also marks the second limited-time offer licensed ingredient partnership with McCormick. The popular Goldfish Frank’s RedHot ranked at the time as the fastest-selling launch of summer 2021.
(NEW YORK) — Even if you’re not from Manhattan, chances are you’ve heard of, dreamt of or perhaps planned a visit to taste a scoop of Magnolia Bakery’s luscious, creamy, sweet banana pudding.
The New York City confectioner, known for its classic American desserts, has created a cookie with all the taste of the cult-favorite banana pudding.
Magnolia Bakery dropped its banana pudding cookie, which is available on MagnoliaBakery.com and at its 10 bakeries nationwide.
“It took six months to whip up, resulting in a soft, chewy cookie that’s full of flavor great to enjoy on its own or paired with a banana pudding,” a representative for the bakery told “GMA.”
The cookie is made with crushed vanilla wafers and mashed bananas in the dough to bring the classic flavor of the pudding to the baked treat. The treat is also packed with white chocolate chips and their world-famous Banana Pudding mix.
An order of six cookies is available online for $25 plus shipping and in-store cookies cost $3.70 apiece.
(NEW YORK) — As Americans continue to experience sticker shock at the grocery store, some organizations are offering new solutions to help ease the burden.
At-home prices for food will increase between 5% and 6% this year, the United States Department of Agriculture predicted in its 2022 food outlook report.
One Minnesota-based nonprofit, The Food Group, is working to provide nutritious, high-quality, low-priced groceries across the state in over 30 counties, including neighboring Wisconsin, to help over 50,000 households.
The Food Group executive director Sophia Lenarz-Coy explained to ABC News’ Good Morning America that opposed to fixed costs like medical expenses or rent, “food is the flex.”
“For folks on limited incomes, inflation makes it so you have to cut back somewhere,” she said.
The Food Group operates co-op style with bulk purchasing, so the more a customer buys the cheaper it costs.
They operate 32 “Fare for All” pop-up sites that focus on rural and suburban communities and a Twin Cities Mobile Market that delivers food directly to urban neighborhoods weekly.
“With inflation, it’s just crazy, people who haven’t had to focus on grocery prices are coming up to me and saying, ‘I am noticing these crazy jumps at the grocery store just to buy what I normally buy,'” Lenarz-Coy said.
The Food Group program is open to everyone, no registration required, and she said participation has almost doubled since January.
“The grocery stores are getting to be so outrageous,” said Kathy Testa, a St. Paul resident and Twin Cities Mobile Market customer.
Terrell Hadley, who also shops from the Twin Cities Mobile Market, added, “This makes it easier to hold on to the finances at the end of every month. I think it’s the greatest thing going on right now.”
According to the Veggie Van Training Center, a nonprofit that supports local and regional food systems help start, expand and improve mobile produce market programs, mobile markets like The Food Group are on the rise.
The Veggie Van Training Center was recently awarded a USDA grant to expand their training center and coalition.
“This really is an effort to harness resources, networking, and really try to advocate for sustained funding and policy support at all levels,” Leah Vermont, assistant director of Veggie Van’s partnerships, told GMA.
Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — The nationwide formula shortage is causing stress for many families, with some beginning to lean on the online community, from Instagram to eBay, to find supply.
The shortage is due to several factors, experts say, including supply chain issues, rising inflation and previous recalls of baby formula products.
As of April 24, 40% of popular formula brands may be sold out at stores nationwide, up from 31% in early April, according to Datasembly, a firm that tracks products stocked on store shelves. Six states in particular also saw up to or over 50% of baby formula sold out in stores, including Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas.
In response, some retailers are limiting the amount of formula customers can buy, leaving parents desperate to find the products their babies need.
(NEW YORK) — Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness kicked off the summer blockbuster season this weekend, raking in an estimated $185 million in its domestic debut. And with more blockbuster films expected over the next couple of weeks, more Americans may be headed to theaters soon — but it may cost them.
In an effort to offset inflation and losses stemming from the pandemic and streaming services, some movie theaters are hiking up prices.
ABC News’ Becky Worley appeared on Good Morning America Monday to break down what surge pricing could mean for moviegoers:
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
(ORLANDO, Fla.) — A new roller coaster has been unveiled at Walt Disney World — Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.
The family-thrill attraction matches the “grandiosity” and fun of the hit Guardians of the Galaxy movies and involves new innovation from Walt Disney Imagineering with 360-degree rotation to show guests all the action.
It also features the first reverse-launch on a Disney roller coaster aboard and is one of the largest fully enclosed coasters in the world.
Riders can expect to crank up an awesome mixtape aboard a starblaster and blast off on an awesome intergalactic chase through time and space featuring the legendary cosmic outlaws — Rocket, Groot, Drax, Gamora and Star-Lord (a.k.a. Peter Quill).
The fully-enclosed and immersive ride is located in the park’s newly renamed World Discovery neighborhood — the first ‘other-world’ showcase pavilion at EPCOT.
The ride follows a story of Eson — a Celestial that has been watching Earth for eons and intends to use the Cosmic Generator to jump back in time and change the course of humanity.
Nova Prime Irani Rael commands her top officer, Centurion Tal Marik, to contact the Guardians of the Galaxy right away and ask for their assistance. As the Terrans evacuate the ship via Starjumper shuttles — small escape pods that launch from the Starcharter cruiser — the Guardians arrive to reprogram the Starjumpers so guests can help them track down Eson in an intergalactic chase.
The new attraction officially opens on May 27 at Epcot as part of the park’s multiyear transformation.
(NEW YORK) — When the Volkswagen ID. Buzz goes on sale in the U.S., consumers may be seduced by the microbus’ nostalgic design and electric powertrain. They may also become enamored with its three passenger rows.
“It’s a family hauler, a people mover … a majority of our buyers will probably be coming from mid-size or large SUVs,” Jeffrey Lear, product manager of electric vehicles at Volkswagen of America, told ABC News. “We know this from doing research — families want three rows.”
He added, “Three rows were a necessity.”
Only the U.S. version of the ID. Buzz comes with three rows that can seat seven. Americans have been increasingly asking for larger SUVs that can accommodate their active lifestyles and growing families and carmakers are listening. Many have expanded their lineups to cater to this “supremely important” segment, according to Ed Kim, president and chief analyst of AutoPacific.
“The fact that there are so many three-row SUV entries in the marketplace is really a reflection of millennial consumers needing a large family vehicle,” Kim told ABC News. “Millennials are approaching their peak income years. If you’re not playing in the three-row space, you’re not addressing a huge part of the marketplace.”
Three-row, mid-size SUVs are replacing what families drove years ago — the minivan, according to Tony Quiroga, editor-in-chief of Car and Driver.
“The minivan segment has been declining steadily and that space has been picked up by all the three-row SUVs and crossovers,” Quiroga told ABC News.
German carmaker BMW found new customers when it introduced its three-row SUV, the X7, in late 2018.
“A little more than half of the customers who are buying the X7 are not previous BMW owners,” according to Michael Baxley, U.S. product manager at BMW. “The X7 has been very successful.”
Last month BMW showed off the 2023 X7, which now features a redesigned dashboard and center console, a new curved display and a revised kidney grille. The 48-volt battery-assisted hybrid technology in the new inline 6-cylinder and V8 engines improve performance and efficiency, said Baxley. What hasn’t changed? The capacious cargo space. The X7 offers 33.3 inches of legroom for third-row passengers – “plenty of room for most adults,” he noted.
Three-row variants in the full-size SUV segment total about 70% of sales. Mid-size SUVs with three-rows account for 10% of the U.S. vehicle market, up from 6% in 2016, said Tyson Jominy, vice president of data and analytics at J.D. Power. That percentage is likely to rise as capacity constraints from the global chip shortage ease, he said.
“The real truth is that we may not have reached true potential,” Jominy told ABC News. “Three-row SUVs can do everything a two-row can but just much more. It’s a critical segment to be in.”
Land Rover and Jeep have recently launched three-row SUVs to steal sales from competitors. The 2023 Range Rover, Land Rover’s flagship luxury SUV, will now be sold with a seven-seat configuration — an addition specifically designed for U.S. customers.
“The U.S. market will be one of the largest for this seating configuration and addresses the top request from owners and shoppers,” Rob Filipovic, director of product planning at Jaguar Land Rover, told ABC News. “While the U.S. did request a seven-seat variant on the previous generation, the platform did not support the premium expectation of comfort and space expected on a Range Rover. With the New MLA-Flex body architecture, the requirements were designed from the start, resulting in no compromise for all passengers.”
Filipovic said he expects the longer wheelbase Range Rover with three rows to make up 30% of sales. And adults seated in the rear can travel comfortably: The third row easily accommodates a 6-foot-tall individual, he said, and there are HVAC vents, charging ports, heated leather seats and LED lighting.
“When the third row is folded, it provides the largest trunk behind the second row that we have ever had on a Range Rover,” he added.
Jeep now offers three SUVs with seating up to eight: the Grand Cherokee L, Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer. Kim of AutoPacific said the move was necessary to stay competitive.
“Given how important three-row SUVs are, it’s actually amazing Jeep has had incredible growth over the last 10 years without one,” he said.
Jeep spokesperson Ron Kiino said the addition of three rows has increased Grand Cherokee owner retention.
“The Grand Cherokee L has boosted Grand Cherokee sales … 2021 was the best sales year in total and retail sales for the Grand Cherokee since 2000,” he told ABC News.
He added, “Customer response has been extremely positive.”
According to Kiino, the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer offer best-in-class overall passenger volume (179.2 cubic feet) and third-row legroom of 36.6 inches.
Adults, however, will have to squeeze, bend, squish and contort their arms and legs to sit in some three-row SUVs.
“There’s a massive amount of variability and diversity in three-row spaciousness,” said Kim. “In the Mitsubishi Outlander and Volkswagen Tiguan — you really couldn’t fit anyone more than 10 years old back there. The Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer L — adults can easily be comfortable in a third row for hours.”
Jominy argued that the third row was designed specifically for young children.
“Most adults would never for a second ride in the third row,” he said. “In a lot of cases they’re temporary or an expansion row. In fact, for many automakers, even if you get leather seats, the third row is vinyl. There is no expectation that an adult will ever sit back there.”
Kia and Toyota are also bolstering their three-row offerings. The third-generation Toyota Sequoia will be available this summer with a twin-turbo V6 hybrid powertrain and a sliding third row with an adjustable cargo shelf system. The feature allows the third row to slide with 6 inches of adjustment range, according to Toyota.
Kia, which has won industry awards for its Telluride SUV, revamped the 2023 model to include two new trim levels, a larger navigation screen and new exterior and interior package colors. Seventy-five percent of Telluride buyers are new to the Kia family, according to the Korean automaker.
Kim said automakers could do even more to boost sales of these prodigious vehicles: Build electric ones. The Vietnamese automaker Vinfast is entering the U.S. market with a three-row EV called VF 9. The only other three-row EV available right now is the Tesla Model X. The ID. Buzz goes on sale in the U.S. in 2024.
“Three-row SUVs are unrepresented in the electric vehicle market,” Kim said. “Young people with families and who are really into tech would be interested in buying an EV.”
Could Americans’ obsession with jumbo SUVs also signal the arrival of four rows?
“If you don’t need a steering wheel [in an autonomous vehicle], you can potentially turn the front seat around and have a couple of rows in between,” Jominy of J.D. Power said. “But I don’t see four rows ever being a thing.”
Kim pointed out that Kia sells a four-row Carnival minivan in South Korea. “That actually exists,” he said.
(PHILADELPHIA) — A Philadelphia-based vegan food company is accusing Dunkin’ and Beyond Meat of stealing its slogan.
The donut chain and the plant-based meat giant partnered a few years ago to create a vegan breakfast sandwich which was sold in Dunkin’ stores.
According to court documents obtained by ABC News from the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Vegadelphia claimed Dunkin Brands Inc and Beyond Meat Inc collectively “knew about this federally registered trademark on information and belief when they adopted the indistinguishable ‘great taste, plant-based’ slogan for a celebrity-laden national advertising campaign supporting their Beyond Sausage meat substitute menu item.”
Vegadelphia said in the complaint it has used its original slogan since 2013 and that the result of Dunkin’ and Beyond’s “illegal campaign” caused a “profitable shift of Dunkin’s marketplace positioning, expansion of its nationwide overall sales, increase in customer purchases per visit, growth of Beyond’s base of repeat customers, and improvement of Dunkin’s share price, greatly enhancing the goodwill of both companies.”
The breakfast sandwich in question, made with Beyond Meat products, launched in 2019 but other media outlets including Reuters, note that the chain dropped it from most of its store menus last year.
A representative for Dunkin’ told ABC News the brand does not comment on pending litigation. Beyond Meat did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
Vegadelphia also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The plant-based company, founded in 2004, sells its meat alternative beef and chicken products along the East Coast and at El Meson Sandwiches restaurants in Puerto Rico and Florida.
On top of the alleged slogan imitation, Vegadelphia claimed that advertisements for Dunkin’ “used placement and imagery in their branding” that it called “nearly identical” to its own. “The overlap in font style, stacked text, and even sunray background imagery, is beyond coincidence,” the complaint said in the court document.
According to the lawsuit, Beyond Meat applied for and was denied a trademark in 2020 almost identical to “great taste, plant-based” by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office based on a likely confusion with Vegadelphia’s trademark.
Vegadelphia asked the court to block Dunkin’ and Beyond Meat from using the slogan and requested an undisclosed amount of money damages.
