The United States typically produces 98 percent of the baby food it uses, with imported food coming mainly from Mexico, Ireland and the Netherlands, the agency said in a statement. However, due to the shortage, the FDA is outlining a process by which “it will not object to the import of certain infant products intended for foreign markets” and the distribution in the United States of products produced on the domestic market for export to other countries.
“Companies seeking to take advantage of these flexibilities need to provide information to the FDA to quickly assess whether the product can be used safely and whether it provides adequate nutrition,” the agency said. “For example, labeling, information on nutritional adequacy and safety tests and information on the history of facility inspections.”
The administration will prioritize applications “that have a good chance of being successful, that show some clear quality and safety and food adequacy and all that, and that have the potential to move a significant product to the United States quickly,” a White House official told CNN, including imports from countries such as Ireland, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, which have safety oversight systems similar to those in the United States.
The FDA said it was already in discussions with some manufacturers and suppliers about additional supplies, but officials warned that even importing a formula from abroad would not offer immediate relief.
“With these flexibility options, we expect these products, which can quickly meet safety and nutrition standards, to hit stores in the United States in a matter of weeks,” FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Calif said in a statement. .
Susan Maine, director of the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Nutrition, said in a media interview Monday that “it depends in part on what kind of information we receive from others, but I think we’re considering weeks of launching the imported product.” market. “
The news comes when the White House is working with key manufacturers to help provide logistical support during a baby formula shortage, an official said in a statement Monday.
The White House is in constant talks with the four major infant manufacturers – Reckitt, Abbott, Nestle / Gerber and Perrigo – to work with them to identify transportation, logistics and suppliers barriers to increasing formula production in their US – and FDA-approved equipment to expand the amount and speed of FDA-approved formula shipped across the country and ensure that the formula moves quickly to factory retailers, “said a White House official.
CNN reported earlier Monday that the Biden administration is facing a number of questions and criticisms about the national shortage of baby formula, which causes anxious and angry parents to jump from store to store in search of baby food. The administration proposed a new website, HHS.gov/formula, to provide resources to families in need, but when a CNN reporter tried some of these options, the exercise led to apologetic customer service representatives, a time of detention that lasted much longer. by the hour and serious challenges in finding a baby formula through some of the key suggestions listed on the new Health and Human Services website. The White House is also in “constant communication” with Target, Amazon, Walmart and other major retailers, the official said, “to identify parts of the country that may be at risk of critically low supply of infant formula, and offered to work with producers and retailers to bring more formula to these parts of the country, including through US government transportation and logistics. “President Joe Biden held virtual meetings Thursday with Target and Walmart executives. as well as formula makers Reckitt and Gerber, respectively, and employees have since been in “close communication to track these conversations,” according to the official.
Efforts are also being made to strengthen the supply chain by reaching out to formula suppliers.
“We are also contacting suppliers of infant food manufacturers to inform them that their materials are critical to stimulating infant production in the United States and that they should prioritize their production and delivery,” he said.
Speaking on CNN’s New Day on Monday, Caliph said the administration was “doing everything possible” to address the shortage.
Caliph cited efforts to work with manufacturers to increase production, work on the supply chain and work closely with Abbott to open its closed plant as soon as possible.
After Abbott restarts the site, it will take six to eight weeks for the products to reach store shelves, the company said Monday.
Overwhelmed by the effect of the move to facilitate the import of some formulas, Calif said the situation was generally “gradually improving” in “a few weeks”.
This Thursday, Caliph testified before the Subcommittee on Agricultural Appropriations on the FDA’s request for the 2023 budget and the supervision of infant formulas.
The shortage of formula is exacerbated by the shutdown of the country’s largest formula, the Abbott Nutrition facility in Sturgis, Michigan.
Production was halted at the facility in February after reports that four babies who consumed factory-made formula had contracted rare and serious infections caused by Cronobacter sakazakii. Two of the babies died. An informant also detailed allegations to the FDA that Abbott was hiding safety issues months before the breast milk was withdrawn in February.
However, tests by the FDA and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eventually found that the genetic sequences of Cronobacter samples from the plant did not match any of the bacteria isolated from sick children or the formula in their homes. Genetic samples from sick babies also do not match, suggesting there is no link between their cases, Abbott said in a press release.
In addition, Abbott said that no baby formula distributed to consumers is positive for Cronobacter or Salmonella.
Pressed about how soon supplies will return to normal, HHS Secretary Xavier Besera declined to give details, telling CNN on Monday that “Abbott is the one who can tell you the schedule.”
Besera said the federal government was working with the company to make sure it was addressing the safety concerns they raised and that “this should be done in a few weeks”.
“We don’t run their plants. Only they can deal with the safety concerns that have been identified through our inspections. They’ve been working on this for some time. We’ve been advising them on what to do,” Besera told CNN’s Kate Baldwin. At this hour.
“We will do everything we can, we will pull all the levers we can to help them move as fast as possible, but they control their factory. They own and manage it. They are the ones who need to fix it. “
Abbott said last week that it could resume production at its Michigan facility, pending FDA approval, within two weeks, but it could be several more weeks before the formula becomes available on the shelves.
According to CNN, Bessera also defended the administration’s response to Abbott’s withdrawal and complaint, saying: “We are moving as fast as possible.”
“The FDA is moving at a deliberate speed to make sure that if you’re going to do something as drastic as pushing a manufacturer to take a product off the shelves, there’s good evidence of that. That’s why it takes a while,” he said.
This story has been updated with additional reports.
CNN’s Brenda Goodman, DJ Judd, MJ Lee and Jacqueline Howard contributed to this report.
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