Parents struggling this month to feed their infants will get a little help as 7,000 cans of baby formula were delivered to the Food Bank of Central New York Monday. State Attorney General Letitia James delivered the cans as part of a statewide price gouging settlement.
The delivery sent forklifts scurrying across the Food Bank’s warehouse floor. Each in a hurry to load wooden pallets with the infant formula all needed in 11 counties across the region.
The AG secured the cans from a legal settlement against businesses that illegally raised formula prices during the 2022 shortage.
"Today is about something very, very simple, very human, and very fundamental, making sure that every parent can feed their child, their baby, without fear, without panic, or, most importantly, without worrying about price gouging,” James said while delivering the news personally at the Food Bank.
Her office charged distributors Marine Park and Formula Depot of illegally doubling the price of an $18 can of formula to $36 at the peak of the shortage, an increase that the AG estimates generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in excess revenue.
"They exploited a moment when parents were vulnerable and, most importantly, when they were desperate,” James announced with a scolding tone.
In this case, the settlement will fund formula deliveries directly to Central New York families.
Food Bank CEO Karen Belcher noted that struggling parents relying on WIC or SNAP still cannot afford formula for their babies as grocery prices have crept back up, charging $25 on average for the same 16 oz. can of formula.
“This formula will make the journey from our food bank to pantries and distribution across our service area and will soon be lessening a little bit of that heavy burden facing parents and families,” Belcher said while looking over the rows of cans waiting for delivery to some of the poorest regions in New York. “Now more than ever, we need to stand united to ensure that no one goes without food.”
The Food Bank will deliver the formula to 11 different counties: Cayuga, Chenango, Cortland, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, and St. Lawrence.
Belcher said she expects infant formula to arrive at area pantries within the next few weeks.
New Yorkers who suspect an in-person or online retailer is price gouging should file a complaint with the Office of the Attorney General online or by calling 1-800-771-7755.
