Need special formula for your infant? You now have to ask for it at the pharmacy counter

Parents in Canada who need specialized formula for their babies now have to order formula through a pharmacy due to ongoing nationwide shortages of product.

Most parents in Canada who need specialized formula to feed their babies now have to order formula through a pharmacy due to a voluntary directive by Health Canada aimed at rationing limited supplies amid a nationwide shortage.

In June, Health Canada issued national recommendations suggesting hypoallergenic baby formula be dispensed by pharmacists “to ensure they can be distributed equally,” according to a statement from Health Canada provided to Global News.

Since then, this practice has been adopted across the country as the availability of certain types of specialized formulas continues to be limited, Health Canada says.

“The recommendation to order hypoallergenic infant formula at the pharmacy counter was implemented to effectively manage the limited supply and ensure that those infants who need it will receive it,” said Andre Gagnon, a spokesperson for Health Canada.

“This measure allows Health Canada and its provincial and territorial counterparts to have a detailed understanding of the national supply and to quickly adjust allocation if an urgent need is identified.”

Regular formula remains widely available in Canada and does not require special access over the counter at pharmacies, Health Canada added.

The specialized formula shortage was triggered by the February shutdown of Abbott Nutrition, a key infant formula manufacturing plant in Michigan, which was closed due to a massive recall of some of its products.

Most of the baby formula available in Canada comes from the United States. Abbott Nutrition makes the popular Similac and Alimentum formula brands.