BUB - US Exposure & The Current Baby Formula Shortage, page-39

While I sympathise with your sentiments, AceHomer, the situation for infant formula regulation and supply in the United States is complex and would not allow for easy dumping of product. For a start there are import tariffs ranging up to 17.5%. Second, there is something called the Federal "Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program". This program has restrictive rules which limit new mothers to buying formula from sole-source contractors in the various states, which manage the WIC. In addition, there is a fair bit of skullduggery at the State level, so that suppliers create state-sanctioned monopolies by offering kick-backs to State governments (and maybe officials?). Finally, paediatricians in the US are not above recommending particular brands of infant formula to new mothers, especially when those brands might offer generous "educational incentives" to the paediatrician. As a result, WIC makes up about half of the U.S. formula market, and Abbott and Mead Johnson have program contracts covering 87% of infants. I'm in the health industry, so I know how it works. Like I said, not so easy!