Deficiency of infant formula: the law of production protection, to which Biden refers

WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden on Wednesday referred to the Defense Manufacturing Act to speed up production baby formula and allowed flights to import supplies from abroad as it faces growing political pressure due to a domestic deficit caused by the closure of the country’s largest formula factory.

Ordering the Defense Manufacturing Act requires formula manufacturers to fulfill these orders earlier than other customers. Biden also allows the Department of Defense to use commercial aircraft to overseas formulas that meet federal standards in the U.S., in what the White House calls “Operation Fly Formula”.

Infant formula shipments across the country have been severely cut in recent weeks after Abbott Nutrition’s February recall exacerbated persistent supply chain disruptions among formula makers, leaving fewer options on store shelves and increasingly concerned parents struggling. trying to find food for their children.

The announcement came two days after the Office of Food and Drug Administration said it was streamlining the review process to make it easier for foreign manufacturers to supply more formulas to the United States. Regulators also said Monday that they have reached a deal that allows Abbott Nutrition to restart. its plant in Sturgis, Michigan, the nation’s largest formula plant, which has been closed since February due to pollution problems. The company should review its safety protocols and procedures before resuming production.

After receiving FDA approval, Abbott said it would take eight to ten weeks before new products begin to arrive in stores. The company has not set a deadline for the resumption of production.