Retailers Limiting Baby Formula Purchases

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As of Tuesday, stores such as CVS - the country's largest pharmacy chain - and Target have announced restrictions on the amount of formula purchases shoppers can make, both online and in-person. On Tuesday, a spokesperson for Target - which boasts 1,931 stores nationwide - announced stores in most states will now have a five-per-day limit on baby formula purchases, at the request of the Food and Drug Administration. CVS, meanwhile, which oversees 9,932 US stores, are limiting customers to three purchases a day.

'Following supplier challenges and increased customer demand, we've added a limit of three baby formula products per purchase in our stores and online,' a spokesperson for the drug store told DailyMail.com Tuesday. 'We're continuing to work with our baby formula vendors to address this issue and we regret any inconvenience this causes our customers,' the spokeswomen added. Also limiting quantities of baby formulas that consumers can pick up is storied supermarket chain Kroger - which has nearly 2,800 locations nationwide - and drug store stalwart Walgreen's, which have both implemented limits on customers.

Walgreen's - the second-largest pharmacy chain in the country - said Friday it is similarly limiting customers to three infant and toddler formula product purchases at a time at its 9,021 US locations. A company spokesperson told DailyMail.com that the restrictions, already in effect, stem from an 'increased demand and various supplier issues.'

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The rationing by the retail giants come as an estimated 30 percent of popular formula brands have been reported sold out across the country. The shortage is being blamed on supply chain issues stemming from the pandemic - which has spawned a backlog of billions of dollars of toys, clothing, electronics, vehicles, and furniture over the past year.

A recent recall, however, compounded the issue in February, when Abbott, one of four major American formula manufacturers, called back a number of its products - including its preeminent Similac formulas - due to a bacteria contamination at its Michigan factory. The contamination was discovered after four infants who consumed the company's formula products - which also include Alimentum, and EleCare - were hospitalized, with one later dying.

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