US: mobilizes the Ministry of Defense to transport milk from Europe to cool down the crisis

The shelves selling formula milk are empty, so they are empty in the US – Photo: VOX

By page The Hill, The Ministry of Defense is arranging for planes to be ready to transport about 1.5 million boxes of formula from Zurich – Switzerland to distribute to areas with severe formula shortages in the US.

Flights will bring back three main types of formula safe for children with allergies, which is especially scarce these days.

The shortage of infant formula in the United States occurred after an Abbott Nutrition Company was closed in February 2022 in the US due to cases of infants becoming ill after drinking milk produced from milk. this factory. The Abbott company then had to recall the problematic products.

In recent weeks, formula shortages have become a hot issue in the US. The fear of parents makes prices go up even more and supplies are scarcer.

Over the past week, the White House has been under enormous pressure to address the formula shortage. Authorities have announced a series of measures, including a new directive from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on increasing the import of infant formula from abroad.

Reuters news agency on May 20 said Abbott and the FDA said that Abbott’s baby formula factory in Sturgis, Michigan will be able to reopen within the next two weeks.

On May 18, President Biden used the Defense Production Act to require suppliers to “direct necessary resources to manufacturers of infant formula.”

Abbott is the largest supplier of infant formula in the United States.

Canada also faces a shortage of infant formula for babies with food allergies or special health conditions as a result of the closure of an Abbott factory in the US.

The closure of this dairy factory has affected global supply, including Canada, Canada’s Global News reported.