Nearly 5M Additional Cans of Infant Formula Soon to Reach Store Shelves
WASHINGTON — More than 4.8 million cans of infant formula will be shipped to U.S. retailers from an Australian manufacturer beginning in August, the Food and Drug Administration announced Friday.
The formula is being sourced from Care A2+, an Australian-owned and run nutrition and wellness company.
The FDA says the total shipment is roughly the equivalent of 121 million full-sized 8-ounce bottles and formula intended for infants 0 to 12 months old.
The product will be distributed to as many as 20,000 retail locations nationwide for a 91% coverage of the population, including CVS and Rite Aid drug stores, Whole Foods Market, Kroger, HCA Healthcare, Publix Super Markets, Safeway, The Vitamin Shoppe, Duane Reade Convenience Store and Peapod Online Grocer.
The agency said it is continuing to do everything it can to bolster the supply of products that serve as the sole source of nutrition for many infants while ensuring the infant formula can be used safely and provides adequate nutrition.
As previously reported by The Well News, the FDA increased its flexibility regarding the importation of certain infant formula products after a whistleblower complaint led to a shutdown of the biggest U.S. manufacturing plant of formula in Sturgis, Michigan, in February.
The plant operated by Abbott Laboratories produced about 20% of the nation’s formula, and the shutdown led to a shortage of the food essential to infants’ health.
Dan can be reached at [email protected] and @DanMcCue
