President Biden Announces Eighteenth Operation Fly Formula Mission

Biden Administration will facilitate air shipment of 259,131 8-ounce bottle equivalents of Nestlé Health Science Alfamino® Infant and Alfamino® Junior formula on August 3

Today, President Biden is announcing that his Administration is sourcing one flight, facilitated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), for Operation Fly Formula to transport Nestlé Health Science amino acid-based formula from Luxembourg to Chicago, Illinois on August 3. This delivery will include approximately 19,291 pounds of Nestlé Health Science Alfamino® Infantand Alfamino® Junior formula, the equivalent of 259,131 8-ounce bottles. These products will be distributed primarily to hospitals and home health care providers and are intended for use under medical supervision.

In May, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that the agency is exercising enforcement discretion so that Nestlé can export additional infant formula into the U.S. Nestlé will import both standard and specialty infant formulas including Nestlé NAN® SupremePro 1, Nestlé NAN® SupremePro 2, Nestlé NAN® EXPERTpro SensiPro Premium Instant Starter Formula, Nestlé Health Science Alfamino® Infant and Alfamino® Junior, Vitaflo PKU start™, Gerber® Good Start® Gentle and Gerber® Good Start® Extensive HA®. Over time Nestlé plans to bring approximately 42 million 8-ounce bottle equivalents into the U.S. market.

President Biden launched Operation Fly Formula to speed up the import of infant formula and start getting more formula to stores as soon as possible. Under Operation Fly Formula, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the General Services Administration (GSA), and the Department of Defense (DOD) are partnering to bring  infant formula from overseas that meet U.S. health and safety standards, so it can get to store shelves, hospitals and home health care providers faster. To date, Operation Fly Formula has transported nearly 64 million 8-ounce bottle equivalents to the U.S.

In addition, the Biden Administration has taken a number of other important actions to ensure there is enough safe infant formula for families, including invoking the Defense Production Act, entering into a consent agreement between the FDA and Abbott Nutrition to reopen the company’s Sturgis facility, and issuing FDA guidance so that major formula manufacturers can safely import formula that is not currently being produced for the U.S. market. Details of our actions can be found at whitehouse.gov/formula.

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