BUFFALO, N.Y. — The New York State Attorney General, Letitia James, has secured nearly 9,600 cans of baby formula to resolve an investigation into Walgreens illegally raising prices of baby formula during the 2022 shortage.
In 2022, Abbott Laboratories shut down a plant due to contamination concerns. That caused several recalls of Similac formula products. That plant closure and recalls caused a shortage of baby formula across the country.
The Office of the Attorney General received numerous complaints about price gouging during the formula shortage. With the settlement, Walgreens will make 9,564 cans of formula, worth about $200,000, available to New Yorkers, including those in Western New York.
“Baby formula is the main source of nutrients and absolutely essential for thousands of our most vulnerable residents, our infants. During the formula shortage, families were panicked and struggling about how to feed their babies. For Walgreens to take advantage of this crisis and jack up formula prices is not only illegal but downright shameful,” Attorney General James said in a statement.
“The thousands of baby formula cans secured by my office will go directly to help New York families who need it most. Today's agreement should also send a clear message that my office will not tolerate any company that attempts to price gouge our state’s consumers.”
The baby formula will be distributed to the Met Council in Queens County, FeedMore WNY and the Buffalo Prenatal Perinatal Network in Buffalo, Erie County.
Those organizations will then distribute the baby formula to those people in need.
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