Baby Formula Shortage Eased with First Shipment from Europe

baby formula shortage in the US
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On Sunday, a military aircraft carrying the first consignment of baby formula from Europe arrived in Indianapolis, and the White House announced that a second trip had been scheduled, Reuters reported.

The closure of Abbott Laboratories’ production plant in Sturgis, Michigan, and a recall by leading baby formula producer Abbott Laboratories on Feb. 17 have resulted in one of the worst baby formula shortages in modern years for American families.

Biden’s government wants to fill 1.5 million Nestle specialized baby formula containers that are currently on the shelf. Last week, Biden used the Defense Production Act of the Cold War era to assist boost supply.

A second flight containing the formula will depart from Ramstein Air Base in Germany in the coming days, according to the White House. Abbott and another infant formula company, Reckitt, were the first firms to receive priority status for raw materials under the Defense Production Act, according to the White House.

More shipments are expected in the following days, according to Nestle.

Forklifts were utilized to unload cargo boxes off the airplane in Indianapolis and onto vehicles bound for distribution hubs.

The White House claimed the airplane included 78,000 pounds of specialist baby formula, enough for 500,000 bottles.

Following reports of bacterial illnesses in four newborns, Abbott, the largest U.S. provider of powder infant formula, halted its Michigan factory, compounding a shortage among numerous producers that began with supply-chain concerns linked to the coronavirus epidemic.

On Sunday, Abbott Chief Executive Robert Ford apologized for the shortfall and pledged to resolve it, stating that the facility will restart production in the first week of June and that items would take six to eight weeks to arrive on shop shelves.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams proclaimed a state of emergency on Sunday to prevent baby formula price hikes.

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