自从美国最大的奶粉供应商雅培因细菌超标而停产后，自去年以来出现的奶粉短缺问题就愈演愈烈。美国各地商店的畅销婴儿配方奶粉被抢购一空，平均缺货率高达40%，大型连锁药店纷纷实行限购措施。

 

Major US pharmacies¹ have restricted sales of baby formula in response to a worsening shortage of the special milk.

由于婴幼儿配方奶粉短缺问题愈演愈烈，美国各大药房已经开始实行限购措施。

 

CVS and Walgreens are among the big chains to have imposed limits in recent weeks on how many cans customers can buy at a time.

西维斯和沃尔格林等大型连锁药店几周前已开始限制顾客单次购买的奶粉罐数。

 

The shortages intensified² after Abbott - which makes top brand Similac - shut a key factory and issued a recall in February after finding contamination.

自从生产配方奶粉大品牌Similac的雅培公司关闭了一家主要工厂并在二月份召回受污染奶粉后，奶粉短缺问题变得更加严重。

 

Republicans, such as Senator Tom Cotton, have called it a "national crisis" that the White House must address.

参议员汤姆·科顿等共和党人将奶粉短缺问题称为白宫必须出面解决的“全国性危机”。

 

Abbott issued the recall of certain batches³ of powdered formula in February after reports that four babies who had been fed from cans from the factory became sick, including two who died.

在雅培的那家工厂被曝出其产品导致四名婴儿生病，其中还有两名婴儿因此死亡后，雅培在二月份召回了部分批次的配方奶粉。

 

The Centers for Disease Control and Protection said they were investigating a possible link, but that testing so far had found the strain of bacteria detected at the factory did not match that found in the sickened babies.

美国疾病控制和预防中心称，他们正在调查一条线索，但是到目前为止的检测显示工厂发现的菌种和生病婴儿体内发现的菌种不符。

 

Separately, the FDA criticised Abbott for unsanitary conditions.

此外，美国食品药品管理局也批评雅培的卫生条件不佳。

 

But the shortage pre-dates those issues and has been building since last year due to supply chain and other factors, according to research firm Datasembly, which tracks 11,000 stores across the US.

但是调研机构Datasembly指出，早在这些事件发生之前，由于供应链和其他因素，自去年以来美国的奶粉短缺问题就已经愈演愈烈。Datasembly追踪调查了美国各地11000家商店。

 

The situation deteriorated⁴ further last month, as publicity⁵ of the problem grew and parents raced to stock up.

随着媒体报道增多，父母们争相抢购囤货，上个月奶粉短缺问题进一步恶化。

 

As of 24 April, the average out-of-stock rate across the country had jumped to 40%, up from just 30% a few weeks earlier - and 11% in November, according to Datasembly.

Datasembly的数据显示，截至4月24日，美国各地的平均缺货率已经飙升至40%，就在几周之前，缺货率只有30%，去年11月缺货率仅为11%。

 

There were 26 states with out of stock rates higher than 40% - compared to just seven states three weeks earlier, it said.

Datasembly指出，美国有26个州缺货率高于40%，而三周之前缺货率高于40%的只有7个州。

 

"Due to increased demand and various supplier challenges, infant and toddler formulas are seeing constraint⁶ across the country," the major pharmacy⁷ chain Walgreens said in a statement.

大型连锁药店沃尔格林在一份声明中称：“由于需求增加和各种供应挑战，美国各地的婴幼儿配方奶粉都开始限购。”

 

Walgreens has limited families to buying three cans at a time - similar to other retailers⁸. A 12.4 ounce can of formula typically lasts for about 15 bottles - or just a few days' worth of supply.

和其他零售商一样，沃尔格林限制每户一次只能购买3罐奶粉。一罐12.4盎司（约350克）的配方奶粉通常可以冲泡约15瓶奶，只够喝几天。

 

Companies that produce items like baby formula - in which demand is typically steady over time - have troubles catching⁹ up when there is disruption, said Rudi Leuschner, director of the masters in supply chain management programme at Rutgers Business School.

罗格斯大学商学院供应链管理项目硕士生导师鲁迪·洛伊什纳表示，一直以来婴幼儿配方奶粉的需求量通常都很稳定，但是生产商在供应链被打乱后难以再维持产量。

 

And as parents rush to buy as stories of empty shelves spread, that only makes the problem worse, he warned.

他警告称，缺货的消息让父母们争相抢购，这只会让问题更严重。

 

Overall, birth rates are falling, reaching the lowest point on record in the US in 2020. Studies have also found that consumption of infant formula has been declining in favour of breast milk.

从总体上来看，美国的生育率正在下降，2020年一度跌至史上最低水平。研究还发现，随着选择母乳喂养的人增多，婴幼儿奶粉的消费量一直在降低。

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