Tampons are the latest addition to the growing list of out of stock items in states all across the country.Supply chain problems have left many shelves sparse and the products have become more expensive, making it equally hard to find affordable alternatives.My colleague Lisa Desjardins looks into what's behind this latest shortage.Overlapping with the ongoing baby formula shortage, scarcity of some tampon products across the country is driving more consumer frustration.To explain what's happening here, I'm joined by Sharon Terlep of The Wall Street Journal.Sharon, Americans know by now we've had supply chain issues up and down, the product line for consumers.But why in particular, with tampons what's going on?Sure, it's a case of, there's problems all over.And it's, you know, just some of them happen to hit tampons.But part of this is because it's an industry that's dominated by one very large player, Procter & Gamble, they ran into some bumps.And then the number two player Edgewell had a very specific kind of tampon related supply chain issue.And so all of a sudden, there are a lot of brands that just aren't available, which you know, as any woman who's used a tampon knows you want your brand and what you're comfortable with.Does this have to do with supply coming from outside the United States of what goes into making tampons?Sure, I mean tampons, they seem simple, but they're actually pretty complicated and regulated.They're regulated as a medical device by the FDA. So not anyone can make them.
卫生棉条是全美各州不断增加的断货清单中最新的物品。由于供应链问题，许多货架上的商品变得稀缺，产品变得更加昂贵，因此同样很难找到价格合理的替代品。我的同事丽莎・德斯贾丁斯调查了最近的短缺背后的原因。在婴儿配方奶粉短缺的同时，全国各地一些卫生棉条产品的短缺也让消费者更加沮丧。为了解释这里发生的事情，我们请到了《华尔街日报》的莎伦・特莱普。莎伦，美国人现在知道我们的供应链上上下下都有问题，也就是消费者的产品线。但为什么，尤其是卫生棉条的供应链有问题呢?当然，问题到处都有。只是卫生棉条碰巧出了点问题。但这在一定程度上是因为这是一个由宝洁主导的行业，他们遇到了一些困难。然后，排名第二的Edgewell公司遇到了与卫生棉条相关的供应链问题。所以突然之间，有很多品牌是不能买到的，你知道的，因为任何用过卫生棉条的女性都知道，你想要的是自己认可的品牌和让你舒服的棉条。这和生产卫生棉条的原料来自美国以外的地方有关吗?当然，我的意思是卫生棉条，它们看起来很简单，但实际上它们相当复杂和规范。卫生棉条作为一种医疗设备受到美国食品及药物管理局的监管。所以不是每个人都能生产。
暂无注释
