More than half a million cans of baby formula will make their way from Australia into the United States this summer as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to address the nationwide formula shortage.
According to a news release by the FDA, shipments of baby formula from Bellamy's Organic, an organic baby formula and food producer, will arrive and be distributed in the United States in early July and over the next several months.
Currently, the estimated quantity that will arrive in the U.S. is 696,000 cans, which the federal agency said is equivalent to 21 million eight-ounce bottles, according to Fox Business.
Bellamy's Organic shipment made up of two general formula types
The shipment of Bellamy's Organic baby formula that will come from Down Under will be made up of two "general" formula types, including the brand's Organic Infant Formula Step 1 for babies between ages 0 and 6 months and Organic Follow-On Formula Step 2 for babies between the ages 6 and 12 months.
According to the FDA, parents can find Bellamy's Organic at specialty stores and major retailers in the country. Online listings for Bellamy's Organic formula retail for around $35 for a single 31.7-ounce (900-gram) can.
Bellamy's Organic was founded by Tasmanian recipe developer Dooley Crighton-Bellamy and English botanist David Bellamy in 2000. The brand became the first organically certified baby food manufacturer in Australia in 2004. The company's headquarters is located in Launceston, Australia.
Bellamy's Organic was then acquired in 2019 by the China Mengniu Dairy Company, which is a publicly-traded dairy manufacturer and distributor. According to the FDA, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will continue to evaluate options for getting safe baby formula into the United States as quickly as possible.
Americans have been experiencing a shortage of baby formula in recent months due to labor and supply chain disruption, product recalls, and the related manufacturing plant shutdown of Abbott Nutrition's facility in Sturgis, Michigan. Abbott Nutrition is one of the four major baby formula producers in the United States. Its competitors include Mead Johnson Nutrition, Perrigo Pediatrics, and Nestle USA.
Bubs Australia formula to be transported to LA and Philly
Australia has proven to be a big help to the U.S. during this nationwide formula shortage. President Biden announced on June 22 that his administration is sourcing flights, facilitated by the HHS, for Operation Fly Formula to transport Bubs Australia infant formula from Melbourne, Australia to Los Angeles, California on June 26 and to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 5.
These two deliveries to Los Angeles and Philadelphia will include in total approximately 320,000 pounds of Bubs Supreme Infant Formula Supreme Follow On Formula, Bubs Goat Milk Infant Formula S1, Bubs Organic Infant Formula S1, Bubs Organic Follow On Formula S2, Bubs Goat Milk Follow On Formula S2, the equivalent of approximately 5.5 million 8-ounce bottles. The aforementioned products will be available through Albertsons, Kroger, Walmart, Target, and other retailers.
