U.S. government to send baby formula from Europe to Indiana amid national shortage

The federal government is planning to transport approximately 246 pallets of Nestlé SA formula from Zurich, Switzerland, to Plainfield.

The Department of Defense is working to identify commercial aircraft to ship the products to the U.S.

The shipments will contain the equivalent of up to 1.5 million 8-ounce bottles of Alfamino Infant, Alfamino Junior, and Gerber Good Start Extensive HA formulas. All of these hypoallergenic formulas are suitable for children who are allergic to cow's milk.

The mission is under Operation Fly Formula, a government initiative that will allow the use of Department of Defense-contracted commercial aircraft to pick up infant formula from other countries that meets U.S. health and safety guidelines.

"These formulas have been prioritized because they serve a critical medical purpose and are in short supply in the United States because of the Abbott Sturgis plant closure," the White House said in a Thursday press release.

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In a tweeted video, Biden said Operation Fly Formula will aim to "speed up the import of infant formula and start getting more formula in stores as fast as possible."

Biden also invoked the Defense Production Act in hopes of increasing domestic formula production. This will require suppliers to prioritize providing needed resources to infant formula manufacturers before other potential customers to increase production.

Both the House and the Senate passed the Access to Baby Formula Act, which would allow women receiving benefits through the federal Women, Infant and Children assistance program (WIC) expanded access to formula. The bill now heads to Biden's desk.

The House also passed $28 million in emergency funding to help the FDA address the baby formula shortage.

What caused the U.S. formula shortage?

The shortage has been caused by both supply chain issues and a recall of some varieties of Similac, Alimentum and EleCare formulas that were manufactured at an Abbott facility in Sturgis, Michigan.

The location closed in February after four cases of babies becoming sick after consuming the product. However, the plant announced Monday that they had reached a legal agreement with the FDA on the steps necessary to resume production, which is subject to court approval.

Abbott announced in a Monday press release that the CDC said there were no findings linking their products to infant illnesses.

FDA Commissioner Robert Califf told lawmakers Thursday the Abbott facility is on track to reopen.

"We’ve already made significant progress," he said, "and I think we are on track to get open within the next week to two weeks, most likely at the outer bound two weeks."

A spokesperson for the Department of Defense said the department is "actively working the request" but did not have any further information to provide on when the formula would arrive in Indiana.

Contact IndyStar trending reporter Claire Rafford at crafford@gannett.com or on Twitter @clairerafford.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Baby formula shortage: Government sending formula to Plainfield