The first shipment of baby formula from Europe arrived by military aircraft in Indiana on Sunday.
What Happened: The shipment of 78,000 pounds of formula was delivered to the U.S. after President Joe Biden gave authorization for the importation of formula from foreign countries.
The critical national shortage follows a baby formula recall by Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) on Feb.17. The company is a leading supplier of formula in the U.S., and was forced to close its manufacturing facility in Sturgis, Michigan following an investigation by the FDA.
Also Read: Danone Scales Up Baby Formula Shipments To US To Combat Shortage: Reuters
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack spoke to the press in Indianapolis on Sunday after the shipment arrived. He said the cargo has enough supplies to provide 9,000 babies and 18,000 toddlers with a week's worth of the essential formula.
The usual process to ship the product from Europe to the U.S. would take two weeks, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One Sunday.
"Thanks to Operation Fly Formula, we cut that down to approximately three days."
The White House say a second flight is scheduled to depart in the coming days from Ramstein Air Base in Germany to deliver additional formula to the U.S.
Photo: Created with an image from Travis AFB on Flickr.
