3,300 cans of baby formula were delivered to Rochester Wednesday by New York State Attorney General Letitia James. The formula, worth $140,000, is for Rochester families from the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) settlement with Marine Park Distribution Inc. (Marine Park) and its affiliate Formula Depot Inc. (Formula Depot) for illegal price gouging during the nationwide shortage in 2022. An investigation by OAG found that Marine Park and Formula Depot raised prices of baby formula during the shortage in violation of New York’s price gouging laws. At times, Marine Park doubled the price of a can of baby formula, charging its customers up to $36 for a can that cost $18 before the shortage.
Attorney General James secured a settlement with Marine Park and Formula Depot that will deliver $675,000 worth of baby formula to New Yorkers by November 2025. The baby formula distributed Wednesday will go to Foodlink, a Rochester nonprofit, and its partner organizations.
“During a nationwide shortage of baby formula, families in Rochester, like so many across the state, scrambled to find enough formula for their babies,” said Attorney General James. “Taking advantage of an emergency to squeeze profit from desperate families is shameful and illegal. Thanks to my office’s investigation, we’re delivering 3,300 cans of baby formula to Rochester families. I thank Foodlink and all of its partner organizations who will help distribute this baby formula and support families in need. My office will continue to go after any business that tries to exploit a crisis and cheat New Yorkers.”
Baby formula is a critical food source for the vast majority of infants across the country. Three out of four infants in the U.S. consume baby formula during the first six months of their lives. The 2022 shortage caused by a manufacturing plant closure and recall created significant hardship for families across New York as supplies dwindled and prices rose. In May 2022, Attorney General James issued warnings to more than 30 retailers across the state to stop overcharging for baby formula after consumers reported unreasonably high prices. An OAG investigation found that Marine Park, which sells baby formula to retailers, and Formula Depot, which sells to consumers online, raised prices over 60 percent more than was allowed under the law during the shortage, generating hundreds of thousands of dollars more in revenue.
New Yorkers in the Rochester region face higher rates of child poverty and food insecurity than those in other parts of the state. Four in ten children in Rochester are living in poverty, a rate nearly double the statewide average. Visits to food pantries and meal programs in the area increased 34 percent from 2023 to 2024, with Black and Hispanic New Yorkers in the Rochester region more than three times as likely to be food insecure than white residents.
“We’re grateful to Attorney General Letitia James for this donation of formula,” said Julia Tedesco, President & CEO of Foodlink. “This timely donation aligns perfectly with the launch of our Health and Wellness Program. Our network of food pantry partners has identified a growing need for baby products and other hygiene and non-food items, and this donation will be invaluable to our members and their clients who are in need of formula.”
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