BABY FORMULA.

• Author: Brown, Elizabeth Nolan
• Position: DRINK

For months, the U.S. has been in the midst of a baby formula shortage, leaving parents panicked as they confront stores with sparsely stocked shelves and limits on how much they can buy. This is largely driven by a nationwide recall of Similac and other brands of Abbott Labs formula made at a plant in Sturgis, Michigan, and possibly linked to bacterial infections.

Allowing Americans to buy baby formula imported from the European Union could help alleviate the shortage. But many popular E.U.-made formulas can't be sold in the U.S. and will be confiscated at the border if discovered.

The prohibition has far more to do with FDA nitpicking than with nutritional quality. A 2019 study published in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition examined how 16 popular European baby formula brands measured up to FDA labeling and nutrient requirements. "Listed nutrients...