The Biden administration continues addressing the shortfall of baby formula in the U.S. through its “Operation Fly Formula,” which speeds the import of formula.
More than 1 million 8-ounce bottle equivalents of Nestlé Health Science amino acid-based formula was scheduled to be transported from Switzerland to John F. Kennedy Airport in New York earlier this month, according to a July 8 White House statement. The formula is for infants who have cow’s milk protein allergies and will be “distributed primarily to hospitals and home health care providers.”
“Boosting the supply of baby formula is critically important,” Vice President Kamala Harris tweeted. “By invoking the Defense Production Act to launch 'Operation Fly Formula' we’re working to ensure that baby formula is safe and available for families nationwide.”
Biden on May 18 invoked the Defense Production Act to give the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services authority to use federal resources to speed up the formula production process. Biden’s actions are attempts to end the formula shortages in the U.S., largely blamed on the prolonged shutdown of Abbott Nutrition’s facility in Sturgis, Michigan, one of the U.S.’ largest infant formula production facilities.
The Sturgis facility, underwent a voluntary recall in February after concerns about possible bacterial contamination in its formula after the illness of four infants, two of whom died, a White House May 12 Fact Sheet said.
Abbott said in a statement, “After a thorough review of all available data, there is no evidence to link our formulas to these infant illnesses.”
Although Abbott restarted production of specialty formulas at the Sturgis plant June 4, the Biden administration implemented several steps to address the shortfall, including "Operation Fly Formula."
“Under 'Operation Fly Formula', USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services [HHS] are authorized to use Department of Defense-contracted commercial aircraft to pick up overseas infant formula that meets U.S. health and safety standards, so it can get to store shelves faster,” The White House said in a May 19 statement.
The first ''Operation Fly Formula'' mission was announced May 19 in a White House briefing and involved transporting Nestlé S.A. formula from Zurich, Switzerland, to Plainfield, Indiana. The shipment was to “transport the equivalent of up to 1.5 million 8-ounce bottles of … hypoallergenic formulas for children with cow’s milk protein allergy,” The White House said.
In the 12th mission, HHS coordinated two intercontinental flights to transport Danone’s Nutricia specialized medical baby formulas from Europe to New York and Chicago on July 8, according to a White House briefing. The flights were to transport “approximately 190,000 pounds of Neocate Junior and Neocate Infant DHA/ARA” for babies with extreme allergies to cow’s milk and food protein. The size of the shipment was the equivalent of approximately 2 million 8-ounce bottles, and was to be available predominantly through medical distributors.
“By July 10 'Operation Fly Formula' will have transported more than 44 million 8-ounce bottle equivalents to the U.S.,” the July 8 White House statement said.
