A 50-ton shipment of baby formula is coming to Fort Worth from Cologne, Germany, on Thursday.
The shipment contains 110,000 pounds of Nestle’s NAN SupremePro Stage 1 formula. This is enough formula to fill about 1.6 million 8-ounce bottles, and it will be available across the country through Nestle/Gerber distribution channels, according to the administration.
It is unknown why Fort Worth was chosen as a destination, but the city is home to NAS Joint Reserve Base.
This will not be the only shipment of Nestle formula, according to Biden. Nestle intends to send the equivalent of 41 million more 8-ounce bottles to the United States in the coming weeks.
Biden’s administration implemented Operation Fly Formula to battle the ongoing formula shortage in the U.S. The initiative is intended to facilitate speedier delivery of imported baby formula so that it can get to store shelves sooner.
Under Operation Fly Formula, the U.S. has imported the equivalent of over 1.5 million bottles of Nestle formula. It is working on flights for an additional 8.3 million bottles’ worth of Bubs Australia and Kendramil formulas.
Additional steps have been taken to bring formula back to store shelves, including reopening Abbott Nutrition’s Sturgis facility, as reported by The Dallas Express. Biden also invoked the Defense Production Act and issued FDA guidance that allows companies to import formula not manufactured for sale in the U.S. market.