President Biden Announces Twenty-First Operation Fly Formula Mission

Biden Administration facilitated air shipment of 5 million 8-ounce bottle equivalents of Danone Aptamil Gold Plus routine infant formula on August 29 and September 2

Today, President Biden is announcing that his Administration has sourced two flights, facilitated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), for Operation Fly Formula to transport Danone Aptamil Gold Plus infant formula from New Zealand to, Chicago, Illinois on August 29 and September 2. These deliveries will include approximately 333,338 pounds of Aptamil Gold Plus, the equivalent of 5 million 8-ounce bottles. These products will be distributed through retailers.

In May, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that the agency is exercising enforcement discretion so that Danone can export additional infant formula, including Neocate Infant DHA/ARA and Aptamil First Infant Milk Stage 1. Danone plans to export a total of approximately 39 million 8-ounce bottle equivalents from across its brands into the U.S. market, which also includes their Aptamil baby formula from Ireland and New Zealand.

President Biden launched Operation Fly Formula to speed up the import of infant formula and start getting more formula to stores as soon as possible. Under Operation Fly Formula, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the General Services Administration (GSA), and the Department of Defense (DOD) are partnering to pick up overseas infant formula that meets U.S. health and safety standards, so it can get to store shelves, hospitals and home health care providers faster. To date, Operation Fly Formula has transported over 83 million 8-ounce bottle equivalents to the U.S.

In addition, the Biden Administration has taken a number of other important actions to ensure there is enough safe infant formula for families, including invoking the Defense Production Act, entering into a consent agreement between the FDA and Abbott Nutrition to reopen the company’s Sturgis facility, and issuing FDA guidance so that major formula manufacturers can safely import formula that is not currently being produced for the U.S. market. Details of our actions can be found at whitehouse.gov/formula.

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