Roughly 95,000 cans of baby formula were flown into the United States from Australia on June 12 amid a nationwide shortage, marking the fourth flight of “Operation Fly Formula.”
Under that operation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services has been granted permission to use Department of Defense-contracted commercial aircraft to pick up infant formula from overseas “that meets U.S. health and safety standards, so it can get to store shelves faster.”
Bubs Australia Ltd said the product was expected to hit shelves in retail stores beginning June 20.
“We extend our thanks to our retail partners, who will [endeavor] that our products quickly get to retail shelves in the States and stores in most need with the highest stock-out rates,” Bubs founder and CEO Kristy Carr said in a statement to ABC News.
A Bubs Australia spokesperson told The Epoch Times: “95,000 tins were on board the first shipment to Los Angeles on Sunday and will be distributed to areas of greatest need by Kroger Co. and Albertsons. A second airfreight has been organised but the date, number of tins, destination and distribution plans have not yet been disclosed.”
The Biden administration has said it’s been working hard to address the current nationwide shortages, which have been prompted by supply chain issues during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Shortages were worsened by the shutdown of Abbott Nutrition’s plant in Sturgis, Michigan, amid a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigation into alleged bacterial contamination at the site.
“We will determine whether FDA followed the inspections and recall process for infant formula in accordance with Federal requirements,” the statement reads.
That audit is expected to be completed in 2023.
Biden last week announced the sixth Operation Fly Formula flight, in which Delta Air Lines will move Kendamil formula free of charge to Logan Airport in Boston and Detroit Metro Airport from Heathrow Airport in London between June 20 and June 24.
Biden said on June 4 that more than 127 million bottles of infant formula that have been deemed safe are heading to U.S. shelves “as soon as possible.”