WASHINGTON, May 18 (Reuters) – President Joe Biden took steps Wednesday to tackle infant shortages in the United States, citing the Defense Manufacturing Act to help manufacturers get the ingredients they need to increase supplies. The White House.
Biden also ordered U.S. agencies to use Department of Defense commercial aircraft to deliver formulas to the United States from abroad.
Baby adapters in US supermarkets have been destroyed since leading US manufacturer Abbott Laboratories (ABT.N) withdrew formulas in February following complaints of bacterial infections.
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On Monday, Abbott said she had reached an agreement with the U.S. health regulator to resume production of baby formula at the Michigan plant, a major step toward addressing the nationwide shortage.
In a letter to Health and Human Services Minister Xavier Bessera and Agriculture Minister Tom Wilsac, Biden noted that the industry needs to produce more formula in the coming weeks and months.
Empty shelves show a shortage of baby formula at CVS in San Antonio, Texas, USA, May 10, 2022. REUTERS / Kaylee Greenlee Beal
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“The import of baby formula will serve as a bridge to this intensified production. Therefore, I ask you to take all appropriate measures to obtain an additional safe formula in the country immediately, “he said.
The White House said Biden was invoking the Defense Manufacturing Act to ensure manufacturers had the ingredients to make a safe formula.
“The president is asking suppliers to direct the necessary resources to baby food manufacturers before any other customer who may have ordered the product,” the White House said.
He also launched Operation Fly Formula to speed up the import of infant formula and to quickly deliver more formula to stores.
Biden has ordered the HHS and the USDA to use military commercial aircraft to take infant formula abroad that meets US health and safety standards.
“Bypassing scheduled air routes will speed up the import and distribution of the formula and serve as immediate support as manufacturers continue to increase production,” the White House said.
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Report by Eric Beach and Steve Holland; Edited by Tim Ahman and David Gregorio
Our standards: Thomson Reuters’ principles of trust.
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