The latest example of disruption in the American supply chain is the formula shortage. Ensuring our next generation of citizens has a robust, resilient food supply has not, apparently, been a big priority for our government or industry leaders, and parents across the U.S. are panicking.  

If you are one of the parents scrambling for formula, Organic Prepper has had some articles (HERE and HERE) lately that you might find helpful. I really, really wish you the best.  

A formula shortage should never, ever have occurred to begin with.

The shortage has been caused by a combination of overly-burdensome regulations and industry consolidation, where only three companies produce the overwhelming majority of infant formula. The U.S. government has created a problem through bureaucratic incompetence and now granted itself emergency powers to deal with a problem that should never have existed in the first place. These emergency powers may very well impact all of us, whether or not we have a formula-dependent infant in the house.

(Want to learn more about building up your food storage? Check out our free QUICKSTART Guide to our 3-layer food storage plan.)

Here comes the Defense Production Act.

Harry Truman

On May 18, Biden invoked the Defense Production Act to speed up the production of infant formula. What, exactly, does infant formula have in common with a Korean War-era government act?

President Harry Truman enacted the original D.P.A. in 1950 in response to the invasion of South Korea. The War Powers Acts enacted in 1941 and 1942, when the Americans were engaged in World War II, inspired much of the language behind the D.P.A. in its original form.

The D.P.A. granted the president authorities, including (but not limited to) the demand that manufacturers give priority to defense production, to requisition materials and property, to expand government and private defense production capacity, ration consumer goods, fix wage and price ceilings, force settlement of some labor disputes, control consumer credit and regulate real estate construction credit and loans, provide certain antitrust protections to industry, and establish a voluntary reserve of private sector executives who would be available for emergency federal employment.

Now, Titles II, IV, V, and VI (those relating to requisitioning, rationing of consumer goods, price-fixing, labor disputes, and credit controls), expired in 1953.