美国国家公共电台 NPR--The FDA announces plans to ease the shortage of baby formula

The FDA announces plans to ease the shortage of baby formula

Transcript¹

NPR's A Martinez talks to Meredith Lee, food and agriculture reporter at Politico, about a deal between manufacturer Abbott Nutrition and the FDA aimed at relieving an infant formula shortage.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

There may be relief for parents anxiously coping with a national shortage of infant formula. Abbott's one of the nation's largest manufacturers, and it's reached an agreement with the FDA to get its Michigan factory up and running again. I spoke² with Meredith Lee, food and agriculture reporter at Politico, about the next steps.

MEREDITH LEE: The FDA says Abbott has, quote, "agreed to take corrective actions" as part of this deal to reopen a key infant formula plant in Michigan. That includes stricter requirements for testing products and also notifying the FDA of any future contamination. The federal government, as part of the agreement, also said infant formula products at the Michigan Abbott plant were, quote, "adulterated" because they were made under insanitary conditions and they violated current good manufacturing practices. Supply chain issues are also contributing to the shortages we're seeing today. Biden administration officials say they're working with retailers³ and manufacturers to move infant formula to parts of the U.S. with the most severe shortages.

MART?NEZ: What else is the FDA doing to try and help ease the shortage?

LEE: The FDA announced new efforts to ease some of its incredibly strict import restrictions⁴ on formula from overseas. Ninety-eight percent of all infant formula purchased in the United States is made here, but that's become an issue as the market has grown increasingly consolidated⁵ over the years. Abbott is now one of only four major companies that dominate the U.S. infant formula market, and, as we've seen, any disruption to one company or one plant can drive the kinds of shortages that we're seeing now. So administration officials say allowing more formula into the U.S. on a short-term basis can help fill these supply gaps, but that process will take weeks.

MART?NEZ: OK, now, how is the Biden administration responding to the shortage?

LEE: The White House and FDA say they're continuing to work with formula manufacturers and retailers to boost U.S. production and work through supply issues. They said addressing the shortages is a top priority for the president. The one thing I will note is that the White House isn't being very forthcoming about the timeline for its response. The White House press secretary told reporters yesterday that the administration had been working on this 24/7 since February, but my Politico colleague reported that a whistleblower flagged food safety violation⁶ concerns about this Abbott plant to senior FDA officials back in October. So the process has been slow so far. Last night, I asked a senior administration official when the FDA told the White House about any issues regarding this Abbott plant and any concerns about potential shortages, but the official said they wouldn't comment on internal communications.

MART?NEZ: Yeah. The thing every parent probably wants to know is, how long will it take for the supply to just return back to normal and - expect to see formula back on shelves?

LEE: Right. Abbott says, after FDA approval, the company could restart the Michigan plant within two weeks, and formula could be back on shelves in six to eight weeks. Administration officials have said it could take months for any Abbott formula from the plant to reach consumers. In the meantime, government officials are working with the three other formula companies to boost supplies.

MART?NEZ: All right. Meredith Lee of Politico, thanks a lot.

LEE: Thank you.

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1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。

4 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

5 consolidated   

a.联合的

参考例句：

• With this new movie he has consolidated his position as the country's leading director. 他新执导的影片巩固了他作为全国最佳导演的地位。
• Those two banks have consolidated and formed a single large bank. 那两家银行已合并成一家大银行。

6 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。