3.7 million bottles worth of formula are on the way from the U.K., White House says


The Biden administration's "Operation Fly Formula" program will bring in two million cans — equivalent to 3.7 million eight-ounce bottles — of Kendamil-brand baby formula from the United Kingdom next week, the White House said Wednesday.
According to CNN, two additional planeloads of formula — carrying 250,000 cans manufactured by Bubs Australia — will be sent from Australia on June 9 and 11.
"We would hope that at least some of the retail [stores] will have our products within days of landing," Bubs CEO Kristy Carr said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The formula shortage became dire after Abbott Laboratories — a major player in the formula business — recalled three powdered formula brands and had a manufacturing plant in Sturgis, Michigan, shut down by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in February due to potential bacterial infections.
"Nationally, 23 percent of powdered baby formula was out of stock in the week ended May 22," a report from The Wall Street Journal notes. Out-of-stock rates were particularly high in southern and southwestern states, including Georgia, Texas, Tennessee, Kansas, and Utah.
Biden, who met virtually with formula manufacturers on Wednesday, said that he first "became aware of this problem in early April." The RNC shared the clip on Twitter, slamming the president for not mentioning the formula shortage until May 13.

Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.