An Australian firm plans to ship at least 1.25 million cans of baby formula to the United States to help ease a nationwide shortage. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said some supplies are now in stock for transport, and Bubs Australia would produce more in the coming weeks and months.
It is the latest measure the United States is taking to address the baby formula shortage that has left many parents struggling to feed their infants and babies after Abbott Laboratories, the largest producer in the country, issued a nationwide recall, according to the Guardian.
The commander-in-chief wrote that they are doing everything in their power to get more formula milks on shelves as soon as possible. Bubs Australia reassured Australian customers in a statement on its website that the country's own infant formula supply would not be affected by this product transfer to the United States.
FDA imports six products of Bubs Australia
The company said that due to the strong control of their supply chain security and their wholly-owned production facility, they have already manufactured what is required and have been able to take steps to immediately increase the level of their future production, as needed.
It noted the decision of the FDA to allow the six products of Bubs Australia to be imported and sold in the United States following a thorough review to ensure that they are "safe, clean, and nutritionally sound for American babies."
The company said the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) had advised that they are evaluating options for getting Bubs Infant Formula products to the United States as quickly as possible, according to a report by 9 News.
The importing of Bubs' products followed the relaxation by the U.S. of some regulations this month to mitigate one of the biggest baby formula shortages in the country's recent history. The Biden administration also decided to import emergency supplies from the European continent, the first of which arrived in the U.S. this week.
Abbott plans to restart production at the Michigan plant on June 4
The baby formula shortage is partly due to Abbott Laboratories' manufacturing facility in Michigan recalling some products, including Similac, back in February. Abbott announced on Tuesday it planned to restart production at the plant on June 4. CNN reported that Abbott would prioritize making EleCare and supplying it on or about June 20.
The FDA revealed this month that it would not object to releasing about 300,000 cans of EleCare amino acid-based infant formula that were previously produced at Abbott Nutrition's Sturgis, Michigan plant. The said products would undergo enhanced microbiological testing before their release.
FDA Commissioner Robert Califf told authorities they were doing everything in their power to ensure adequate infant formula was available across the United States. He said their recent steps would help further bolster the supply of infant formula, including importing safe and nutritious products from overseas based on their increased flexibility.
