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How the U.S. got into an infant formula mess

7 points| kamaraju | 3 years ago |npr.org | reply

9 comments

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[+] chiefalchemist|3 years ago|reply
"The episode highlights how highly concentrated the formula industry is — thanks in part to government policies — and the risks that can result."

The sad irony is, the "solution" is certainly going to be throwing more Fed government at it.

As long as were willing to put more eggs in Uncle Sam's basket (read: pocket), we're going to be subject to these "catastrophic failures."

Yes, governing is difficult, central governing even more so. Yet we insist on continuing to play to its weaknesses. And we keep adding more eggs.

[+] sharemywin|3 years ago|reply
To me less government regulation would reward larger factories which is what got is into this mess in the first place. Concentration of manufacturing. Most of the federal regulations I know of are around employee safety and excessive labor exploitations, safer environmental practices, or consumer safety. And I'm not sure I've seen where less regulation has had a good track record on this things.
[+] sharemywin|3 years ago|reply
This is a problem across most industries. the "free market" rewards concentration and exploitive labor practices naturally and cost shifts externalities like the environment away from the producers.

so what do you do? any regulations etc will raise prices which would be bore onto poorest parts of the population.

[+] Jtype|3 years ago|reply
This is less of a "free market" problem than it is an overregulation problem. The article states that the primary issues are state granted monopolies and tariffs on imports, neither of which are "free market".