Press Release - President Biden Announces Twenty-Third Operation Fly Formula Mission

Biden Administration will facilitate air shipment of approximately 4.9 million 8-ounce bottle equivalents of Bellamy’s Organic infant formula on September 7 and 16

Today, President Biden is announcing that his Administration is sourcing two flights, facilitated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), for Operation Fly Formula to transport Bellamy’s Organic baby formula from Australia to Dallas, TX via flights on September 7 and 16. These deliveries will include in total approximately 330,000 pounds of Bellamy’s Organic Infant Formula, the equivalent of approximately 4.9 million 8-ounce bottles. The product will be distributed through retailers.

In May, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that the agency is exercising enforcement discretion so that Bellamy’s Organic can export 1.4 million pounds of infant formula into the U.S., which is equivalent to 21 million 8-ounce bottles.

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 faster. By September 16, Operation Fly Formula will have transported almost 90 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.