ArticleHealth affairs scholar2025
Policy changes to US federal infant feeding laws and regulations from 2014-2023: evidence that the 2022 infant formula shortage had a narrow policy impact.
Article in Health affairs scholar, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Addressing the Impacts of Water Insecurity on Infant Feeding: Policy Solutions for the US.Maternal & child nutrition · 2026Article
- A comparison of U.S. infant feeding policy changes to Global Breastfeeding Collective policy priorities.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
In the spring and summer of 2022, an infant formula shortage in the United States received extensive media coverage, widespread social media engagement, and visible political attention. The purpose of this study was to explore changes to federal infant feeding policies in relation to the 2022 infant formula shortage to determine whether the shortage provoked policy change, and if so, the nature of those policy changes. A mapping of federal laws, regulations, and presidential documents passed or substantively amended between 2014 and 2023 was conducted to explore changes in US infant feeding policies prior to and following the shortage. Fisher's exact tests with post hoc comparisons were used to determine associations between policy topic areas and when policy changes occurred. Fifty-seven infant feeding policy changes met the inclusion criteria. There was a statistically significant relationship between the formula shortage and policies addressing infant formula supply, suggesting policy mobilization and attention from policymakers. There was no statistically significant change in policies on breastfeeding or other infant feeding dimensions associated with the timing of the shortage, suggesting that policymakers' attention was narrow in scope. It is unclear to what degree the policy changes will endure or prevent another infant formula shortage.
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Registered trials
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