Ruben Navarrette: In February, the U.S. experienced an infant-formula shortage. He says the proximate cause was the closure of an Abbott facility in February. Parents panic-buied and hoarded supplies, making shortages even worse, he says. Congress and regulators have created deliberate barriers to entry for foreign competitors. They have made it all but impossible to import foreign brands vetted by other developed countries. This left the U.S. market uniquely vulnerable to a big domestic supply shock, as happened with infant formula shortage.
