Agriculture Minister Tom Wilsak welcomed the arrival of the first batch of formula from Switzerland via Ramstein Air Force Base.
Plainfield, India. – The first batch of infant formula from Europe, allowed by President Joe Biden to address the deepening U.S. deficit, arrived in Indiana on Sunday morning aboard a military plane.
Biden allowed the use of Air Force aircraft for this work, dubbed “Operation Fly Formula,” because there were no commercial flights.
White House spokeswoman Caryn Jean-Pierre told reporters on Sunday that the 78,000-pound formula had landed on board the vehicle just before 11 a.m. ET.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Wilsac was in Indianapolis on Sunday to congratulate the arrival of the first batch of formula.
The flights are intended for “some relief in the coming days” as the government works to strengthen its response to the deficit, Brian Deez, director of the White House National Economic Council, said Sunday.
The White House said 132 Nestle Health Science pallets Alfamino Infant and Alfamino Junior should leave Rammstein Air Force Base in Germany in the United States.
It is expected that 114 more pallets of Gerber Good Start Extensive HA formula will arrive in the coming days.
In total, about 1.5 million 8-ounce bottles of the three mixtures, which are hypoallergenic for children allergic to cow’s milk protein, are expected to arrive this week.
The White House said these types of formulas are a priority because they serve critical medical purposes and are in short supply.
Indianapolis was chosen because it is the Nestlé distribution center.
The formula will be unloaded into FedEx semi-trailers and delivered to the Nestlé distribution center about a mile away, where the company will conduct a standard quality control check before handing out supplies to hospitals, pharmacies and doctor’s offices, a spokesman for the administration said.
Nestlé said it has been working around the clock for the past few months to address the shortage of formulas and help meet demand.
“We have significantly increased the number of our formulas available to consumers by increasing production and accelerating overall product availability for retailers and online, as well as through hospitals and home care for the most vulnerable,” the company said in a release.
“At Nestlé, we are committed to doing our best to ensure that parents and carers get the formula they need so that their children can prosper,” the statement added. “We preferred these products because they serve very important medical purposes as they are designed for children with allergies to cow’s milk protein.”
Under Operation Fly Formula, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services have been asked to ask the Department of Defense for help to pick up a baby formula overseas that meets U.S. health and safety standards so it can get to store shelves faster. according to the USDA.
Alfamino is mostly available through hospitals and home care companies that serve patients at home.
The shortage of baby formula was partly caused by the closure of the country’s largest plant for the production of safety-related mixtures.
U.S. regulators and manufacturer Abbott Nutrition are hoping to rebuild its Michigan plant next week, but it will take about two months before the product is ready for delivery. This week, the FDA eased requirements to import baby formula to try to ease the crunch of supplies, which has left some brands on store shelves and some retailers are rationing supplies for parents who are nervous about feeding their children.
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The Senate on Thursday approved a bill aimed at alleviating the shortage of infant formulas for families participating in the state aid program, which accounts for about half of all formulas purchased in the United States.
The House of Representatives passed the bill the day before, so now it is going to Biden to sign the law.
Participants in a program known as WIC receive vouchers that are redeemed for certain foods in addition to their diet. Vouchers can usually only be used to purchase a baby formula of one brand, which encourages the manufacturer to offer big discounts to support the state’s business.
The bill allows for mitigating circumstances for the Ministry of Agriculture to waive certain requirements so that WIC members can purchase any brand.
“It will now be easier for millions of parents to find the baby formula they need,” said Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., after the bill was passed.
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