Isfahan Medical University: The Situation of Infant Formula Supply is 'Not Normal'; Families Continue to be Confused

Following the announcement of a shortage of 'infant formula' in some regions of the country, an official from the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, affiliated with the Ministry of Health and Treatment of the Islamic Republic, has also reported an abnormal situation regarding the supply of this product for the residents of this province. According to domestic media, Mahmoud Etemadi, the Deputy for Food and Drug at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, stated that the supply situation for infant formula in Isfahan is 'not normal' and added that there is a 'shortage' for infant formula for children over one year old. This official further stated that 'infant formula is being supplied' but 'we cannot provide it in large quantities to infants.' Faramarz Khodaiyan-Chagini, the Director General of Food and Beverage Products at the Food and Drug Organization, claimed on May 4 that there is no 'shortage of infant formula' in Iran and that selling it with a 'national ID' is incorrect. However, shortly thereafter, in mid-October, following an increase in reports of 'infant formula becoming scarce in Iran,' the Food and Drug Organization, a subsidiary of the Ministry of Health of the Islamic Republic, announced that the sale of infant formula in pharmacies from Thursday, October 20, would only be possible with the presentation of the infant's national ID. Due to the critical situation of infant formula supply in Iran and its rationing in many regions of the country, the Persian section of 'Voice of America' has covered this issue in various reports, highlighting the confusion of fathers and mothers between pharmacies in cities.