As the Biden administration tries to put an end to an infant formula shortage around the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration said it could soon allow foreign-made products to enter the market.

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra told CNN that certain products are not allowed to be sold in the U.S. He said that the FDA could allow in products as long as they meet safety requirements.

“What we are looking to do is make available that supply from abroad that we can assure people will be safe and make it more readily available,” he told CNN. “There are certain requirements that some manufacturers don't meet that don't have so much to do with nutrition or safety that prohibit us being able to allow to import it. We're going to do what we can to increase supply, work with importers so that supply, so long as it is safe, will make it to the U.S."

Another issue slowing supply was a February recall that subsequently caused a Michigan plant operated by Abbott to shut down. Abbott officials and the FDA have said they have been working together to reopen the plant.

The recall was prompted after two infants died and two others were hospitalized after consuming Abbott-made infant formula. Abbott said in a statement last week that it could not find any evidence that the infants were sickened by Abbott-made products.

“We conduct microbiological testing on products prior to distribution and no Abbott formula distributed to consumers tested positive for Cronobacter or Salmonella,” Abbott said. “All retained product tested by Abbott and the FDA during the inspection of the facility came back negative for Cronobacter and/or Salmonella. No Salmonella was found at the Sturgis facility. The Cronobacter sakazakii that was found in environmental testing during the investigation was in non-product contact areas of the facility and has not been linked to any known infant illness.”

Becerra said getting the Abbott plant fully operational is important for getting shelves restocked with formula.

"We have to count on Abbott putting its production lines back in place. If they don't move quickly to address safety concerns that even they acknowledge because they shut down the plant and recalled some of their product, then it becomes difficult because they are a big manufacture - 40 percent - that comes from Abbott. So they have to get back online,” Becerra told CNN.

The continued baby formula shortage has thousands of parents turning to Facebook groups as a way to feed their babies.

To address the shortage that is affecting at least three-fourths of babies in the country, a North Carolina woman is shipping formula across the states.

"I go to the grocery stores and I see what's available, then I stay at the grocery store and I post — there are specific requirements for how you have to post to these groups because some people have been scamming," Maria Shea said, adding that while she receives payment via PayPal after getting the product for parents across the nation, she has also sent out some formula for free if a person can't pay.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 26% of babies in the U.S. are exclusively breastfed, and Priscilla González's 2-month-old twins are among the 74% of babies not exclusively breastfed.

"When we were about to get discharged, I kind of into a panic because my milk hadn't come in and I didn't know what I was going to do," González said.

As she and other parents keep looking for baby formula that they're depending on, she's grateful for the social media community that helped her when she was in a pinch.

"We have a Facebook page and so anytime any of the neighbors go to the store, they post a picture of the formula aisle and post it on the page with a timestamp so that people in the community know where to go if they're looking for a specific one," González said.

However, officials are asking mothers to heed caution when turning to social media as scammers run amock.

"We've seen consumers report scams where they're actually seeing them on social media because it's so easy, whether it's through a direct message or an external link," said Alma Galvan, a marketing manager for the Better Business Bureau.

Galvan said you can report fake ads or websites to the BBB's scam tracker. By doing this, you can stop another parent from being scammed.

Doctors are also sending out a warning against making your own formula or buying breastmilk from the internet.

"It's very risky because you don't know what medications that breastfeeding person is on and all those medications go through the milk and there are certain infections that can pass through the breast milk," said Erik Fernández y García, an associate professor for Clinical Pediatrics at UC Davis.

He also warns against ordering formulas from other countries since those aren't regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The Human Milk Banking Association of North America accredits nonprofit milk banks, including two locations in California.

What to do about homemade, watered-down and imported baby formula

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Food and Drug Administration is strongly advising against homemade formula since it has already led to infant hospitalizations and death.

Likewise, with watered-down formula, UC Davis Well Newborn Care Medical Director Laura Kair said diluting formula by using too much water can be dangerous to a baby's health.

Infant formula outside of the U.S. does not meet FDA requirements and could be distributed by third-party vendors that are not required to follow U.S. safety standards.

Watch the video above for the full story.

Mac Jaehnert said he put 1,000 miles on his car in the last week looking for a specialty nutritional formula for daughter MacKenzie and other premature babies in his southeastern Washington state community.

"It's been a frustrating, heartbreaking, unnecessary challenge for a kid who has already overcome so much," Jaehnert told CNN Saturday, echoing the sentiments of parents caught up in a worsening nationwide baby formula shortage.

Jaehnert described empty store shelves in his search for Similac NeoSure in the city of Richland and surrounding areas -- part of a growing national crisis that has forced the Biden administration to order the use of military aircraft to expedite the delivery of baby formula to the United States.

Jaehnert and his wife, Emily, said they have been fortunate to receive donations of NeoSure after getting their story out but urged others to donate cans of formula to food banks to help meet the urgent demand across the country.

At Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital, at least four babies were recently hospitalized due to complications from the ongoing shortage, according to spokeswoman Carter Coyle.

Coyle said three babies were hospitalized due to intolerance of formulas parents used because of the shortages; another was sickened by mineral imbalances from caregivers mixing their own formula.

Clinical dietitians at the hospital urged parents not to dilute formula or attempt to make their own, referring them to guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

In Memphis, Tennessee, a doctor at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital said this week that a toddler and a preschooler were admitted because the specialty formula they needed was out of stock and they couldn't tolerate replacements.

Video: U.S. invokes Defense Production Act for formula shortage

The toddler, who had been in the hospital for about a week, was discharged Tuesday. The preschooler, who was admitted in April, remains in the hospital, according to the hospital.

The baby formula shortage is affecting parents coast to coast, including those who choose not to or cannot breastfeed and those whose medically fragile children can't tolerate other nutrition sources.

Beyond scouring the internet, parents like the Jaehnerts tirelessly search store shelves daily. Others coordinate formula exchanges through Facebook pages and spend countless hours -- and sometimes huge sums of money -- to make sure their children have food.

MacKenzie Jaehnert was born three months early in December and weighed 2 pounds, 5.7 ounces, her father said on Twitter. She spent more than 100 days in the neonatal intensive care unit. Jaehnert said Saturday he and his wife are "terrified" at the prospect of transitioning "a kid who is just barely hanging on" to a new nutritional formula.

"I fear that she'll fall off of her growth chart more than she already is," Emily Jaehnert said of MacKenzie. "I fear that she will have an upset stomach, that it won't sit well with her, that she won't get the nutrition that she needs, that this particular formula right now is providing for her."

Officials in Washington are now confronting criticism that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration moved too slowly to address warning signs of the shortage. At the same time, they're attempting to learn whether formula companies are actually short on ingredients, while also trying to tackle potential price gouging.

At the heart of the crisis is a shuttered manufacturing plant in Michigan. The Abbott Nutrition plant, which is poised to restart production soon, closed after two babies who had consumed formula produced there became ill and died, prompting an investigation.

The closure exacerbated shortages caused by supply chain disruptions and highlighted how concentrated the formula industry is.

"I would really love for someone to figure out why we weren't warned as the parents of premature kids," Mac Jaehnert said Saturday. "This absolutely blindsided us... When did they know and why weren't we warned of this shortage, because it put a lot of families in a really devastating position."

The Food and Drug Administration said on Friday that Nestle will import about 1.3 million cans of Gerber Good Start Gentle formula into the U.S. from Mexico

The formula is expected to reach U.S. markets in July.

The announcement is part of an FDA initiative to allow foreign-made infant formula into the U.S. amid a shortage. The U.S. government has imported three planeloads of formula from overseas in recent weeks as part of a federal strategy to bolster stock.

The severe shortage has been caused, at least partially, due to a Michigan plant, run by Abbott Laboratories, which shut down due to contamination fears, and disruptions in the supply chain.

Before relaxing rules on imports, nearly 98% of formula in the U.S. was produced domestically.

Abbott Nutrition has restarted production at the Michigan baby formula factory that has been closed for months due to contamination, the company said Saturday, taking a step toward easing a nationwide supply shortage expected to persist into the summer.

The February shutdown of the largest formula factory in the country led to the supply problems that have forced some parents to seek formula from food banks, friends and doctor's offices.

Video above: Get the Facts: Baby Formula Shortage

Abbott said it initially will prioritize production of its EleCare specialty formulas for infants with severe food allergies and digestive problems who have few other options for nutrition. The company said it will take about three weeks before new formula from the plant begins showing up on store shelves.

"We will ramp production as quickly as we can while meeting all requirements," Abbott said in a statement.

The plant's reopening is one of several federal actions that are expected to improve supplies in the weeks ahead. President Joe Biden's administration has eased import rules for foreign manufacturers, airlifted formula from Europe and invoked federal emergency rules to prioritize U.S. production.

Abbott closed the Sturgis, Michigan, factory in February after the Food and Drug Administration began investigating four bacterial infections among infants who consumed powdered formula from the plant. Two of the babies died. The company continues to state that its products have not been directly linked to the infections, which involved different bacterial strains.

FDA inspectors eventually uncovered a host of violations at the plant, including bacterial contamination, a leaky roof and lax safety protocols. The FDA has faced intense scrutiny for taking months to close the plant and then negotiate its reopening. Agency leaders recently told Congress they had to enter a legally binding agreement with Abbott to assure all the problems were fixed.

Abbott's February recall of several leading brands, including Similac, squeezed supplies that had already been strained by supply chain disruptions and stockpiling during COVID-19 shutdowns.

The shortage has been most dire for children with allergies, digestive problems and metabolic disorders who rely on specialty formulas. The Abbott factory is the only source of many of those products, providing nutrition to about 5,000 U.S. babies, according to federal officials.

Abbott is one of just four companies that produce about 90% of U.S. formula. The company's recalls and shutdown triggered a cascade of effects: Retailers have limited customer purchasing to conserve supplies and parents have been told to switch brands to whatever formula is in stock.

FDA Commissioner Robert Califf recently told lawmakers it could be about two months before formula supplies return to normal levels. The agency has waived many of its regulatory requirements to accept more formula from the United Kingdom, Australia and other nations.

U.S. manufacturers, including Reckitt and Gerber, have also stepped up production, running plants 24/7 and sourcing more formula from alternate facilities.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced earlier this week that they were again extending its waiver deadline for those in need of baby formula.

On Wednesday, the agency said the waivers made available through the federal WIC nutrition program would be extended through the end of the year.

The current waivers were set to expire on Sept. 30.

“USDA recognizes the flexibilities provided by these waivers remain necessary as we continue to pull every lever to address infant formula supply issues and provide certainty for families,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a news release. “We will continue to work all hands on deck to ensure families can access infant formula, as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s whole-of-government approach to get more safe formula on store shelves nationwide.”

The waiver program was first introduced in June to deal with the infant formula crisis.

The crisis began in February amid the coronavirus pandemic and then was exacerbated after Abbott announced a voluntary recall and then had to shut its Michigan factory due to contamination, the agency said.

The agency said close to 500 waivers have been issued to WIC state agencies.

ByHeart has voluntarily recalled five batches of its infant formula due to the potential cross-contamination with Cronobacter sakazakii.

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Cronobacter bacteria can cause sepsis or meningitis. It may also cause bowel damage, the FDA warns.

The recall was made out of an abundance of caution as there have been no reports of illness linked to the baby formula.

The recalled products were sold in 24 oz. containers with a label that says Whole Nutrition Infant Formula, Milk Based Powder with Iron. The formula is for infants 0-12 months.

Consumers should check under the can for recalled batch numbers 22273 C1, 22276 C1, 22277 C1, 22278 C1, and 22280 C1 that are printed with use by 01 JAN 24 or 01JUL 24 date.

"If a baby has already consumed all of the formula, there is no reason for concern, and no additional action is needed," a statement on the FDA's website states. It adds that parents should contact their child's pediatrician with any concerns.

The end of the year is a time to celebrate and reflect, but there are issues that made 2022 exhausting for many people. 

Breanna Dietrich, who lives in West Virginia, spent weeks searching for baby formula for her infant daughter when many shelves were bare nationwide. 

“Knowing where we were at, it still breaks my heart every day," she said.

Dietrich started a social media group earlier this year. It allowed people to post pictures of places they were finding the baby formula.

The formula shortage has improved since the middle of the year, but it's not over.

It's estimated roughly 87% of formula is now in stock.

However, nearly a third of adults with newborns at home said in a recent U.S. Census survey they’re still struggling to find what they need. Formula makers expect some shortages to continue until the spring.

Like the difficulty of finding the right baby formula, skyrocketing food prices is not an issue that will end in 2023.

Caterer Jessica Walks First said the ingredients she uses for her business doubled this year.

“They’ve gotten better in some aspects and in some aspects, they are still the same," she said.

Walks First's catering business specializes in Native American food. Her menu requires specific ingredients to be authentic, like wild rice, which she often buys from native growers on reservations.

In the fall, food and shipping costs were so high, she made 500-mile round trips herself, multiple times a month, to pick up the ingredients herself. Now, as 2022 comes to a close, she says she's in a better place.

“I’m not driving as much. I did find a good source for my wild rice where it now gets shipped to my house in 50-pound bags, so I have that going for me, which saves me 3-4 rides a month," Walks First said.

The USDA expects food prices to continue to rise in 2023 but not at the same rate as in 2022.

Walks First and Dietrich both are hopeful as another new year approaches.

“We get a little better back to the old normalcy," Dietrich said.

“I don’t do this as a job," Walk First stated. "This isn’t work for me. This is my passion, and my life dream, and I give it all I got."

Parents – check your pantries for baby formula.

Reckitt announced on Sunday that it was voluntarily recalling two select batches of ProSobee 12.9 oz.

In a press release, it was noted that Simply Plant-Based Infant Formula is being recalled out of an abundance of caution due to "a possibility of cross-contamination with Cronobacter sakazakii. All product distributed went through extensive testing and tested negative for the bacteria."

The product, which was distributed nationwide in retail stores in the U.S., Guam and Puerto Rico, was manufactured between August and September 2022.

You can identify these batches of formula by a number that is found on the bottom of the can.

"Recalled product batches are ZL2HZF and ZL2HZZ both with a UPC Code of 300871214415 and a “Use By Date” of “1 Mar 2024," the press release stated.

Approximately 145,000 cans of the formula are impacted by the recall.

Reckitt says no other products are impacted and no illnesses have been reported.

"The batches in question tested negative for Cronobacter and other bacteria and this is an isolated situation. After a thorough investigation, we have identified the root cause, which was linked to a material from a third party. We have taken all appropriate corrective actions, including no longer sourcing this material from the supplier."

If you bought the ProSobee Simply Plant-Based Formula in question, check the can to identify if it's from an affected batch. You can also contact the company at consumer.relations@rb.com for assistance.

For more information, click here.