First baby formula cargo arrives in U.S. from Europe

WASHINGTON, Could 22 (Reuters) - A army cargo airplane carrying the primary shipment of infant formula from Europe to help deal with a critical shortage in america landed in Indianapolis on Sunday, and the White House said a second flight had been arranged.

A Feb. 17 recall by top baby system maker Abbott Laboratories (ABT.N) and the closing of its manufacturing plant in Sturgis, Michigan during an investigation by the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration has created one of many greatest toddler method shortages in current history for U.S. households.

"This is an important step, however it is not at all the one step that should happen. We'll continue to work as the president has instructed us to search for every alternative to increase provide," mentioned Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who greeted the plane on its arrival.

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"This specific formulation is for a really, very small proportion of children. Roughly 17,000 children within the country mainly are the beneficiaries of this specific formulation," he stated.

President Joe Biden's administration is in search of to stock empty shelves with 1.5 million containers of Nestle (NESN.S) specialty infant formulation. Biden last week invoked the Cold Battle-era Protection Manufacturing Act to assist improve provides.

The White House mentioned on Sunday a second flight carrying formulation would depart from Ramstein Air Base in Germany in coming days. The White Home stated that Abbott and a second baby components maker, Reckitt , have been the primary companies given precedence status for uncooked provides beneath the Defense Production Act.

Pallets of infant system being shipped from Europe to the US during Operation Fly Components are seen in a transport plane at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, in a photograph launched May 22, 2022. The White Home/Handout through REUTERS

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Nestle also said more shipments would arrive within the coming days. read more

Troops used forklifts to unload containers of the cargo from the airplane in Indianapolis and onto vans heading to distribution centers.The White House stated 78,000 pounds (35,000 kg) of specialty infant formulation - sufficient for 500,000 bottles - had arrived on the flight.

Abbott, the largest U.S. provider of powder toddler formula, closed its Michigan plant following reports of bacterial infections in four infants, worsening a shortage among a number of producers that began with supply-chain issues tied to the coronavirus pandemic.

Abbott Chief Government Robert Ford apologized for the shortage on Sunday and promised to fix it, adding the plant would reopen in the first week of June, and it would take six to eight weeks for products to reach store shelves.

"We're sorry to every household we have let down since our voluntary recall exacerbated our nation’s baby method scarcity," he wrote in a Washington Submit column.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Sunday declared a state of emergency to prevent value gouging of child method.

"This emergency government order will assist us to crack down on any retailer trying to capitalize on this disaster by jacking up costs on this essential good," Adams mentioned in an announcement.

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Reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein and Chris Gallagher, additional reporting by Jessica DiNapoli in Davos, Switzerland, Barbara Goldberg in New York and Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles; Enhancing by Ross Colvin, Bill Berkrot, Chris Reese and Paul Simao

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