Major tampon makers have vowed to produce more sanitary items to solve the country’s sanitary product shortages.
According to one company, the epidemic has resulted in a staffing shortfall at its facilities.
Users have been sharing their struggles with finding sanitary goods on social media.
One Reddit user stated they went to eight places before deciding to buy tampons with a cardboard applicator online “at a significant mark-up.”
It comes as raw ingredients for sanitary products are becoming more expensive due to the conflict in Ukraine.
The scarcity is also raising fears that supply chain disruptions would drive up costs for key items globally.
Edgewell Personal Care, which makes Playtex and o.b. tampons, said its stock has been “affected due to substantial workforce shortages caused by two consecutive Omicron surges in the US and Canada in late 2021 and early 2022, respectively,” according to a spokesman.
Meanwhile, Tampax tampon manufacturer Procter & Gamble (P&G) stated it was “working hard to ramp up production” in a statement.
“We can tell you that this is only a temporary circumstance,” stated the business, which sells over 4.5 billion boxes of tampons each year throughout the world.
Obtaining raw materials such as cotton and plastic for tampons has been “costly and highly variable,” according to P&G’s chief financial officer, Andre Schulten, during a recent earnings call.
“People must buy only what they require at this point. I’m not a supply chain specialist, but we all know that some of the early pandemic shortages were caused by stockpiling, “Girls Helping Girls Period’s co-founder and executive director, Elise Joy, said.
“Menstrual items are not a luxury item,” she noted, “and if we all take or buy what we need, it will go a long way toward ensuring that more people have access to essential supplies.”
According to the BBC, Walgreens is “experiencing some temporary brand-specific tampon shortage in select geographies,” according to a spokesperson for the US pharmacy chain.
“While we will continue to have products on the shelf and online,” the spokesman added, “it is possible that certain brands could be limited while we navigate the supply disruption.”
