US flight brings tons of needed baby formula from Germany

A US military plane bringing several tons of much-needed baby formula from Germany landed Sunday at an airport in Indiana as authorities scramble to address a critical shortage.

Scarcity of medical-grade baby formula caused by production problems and supply-chain issues has created grave problems for thousands of parents whose infants, allergic to cow's milk protein, rely on it, sending them in frantic searches for the product.

The cargo plane took off from the US air base at Ramstein, Germany, carrying more than 70,000 pounds of powdered formula, the White House said.

President Joe Biden posted about the flight on Twitter from Japan, where he is on a five-day Asia trip.

"Our team is working around the clock to get a safe formula for everyone who needs it," he said.

The initial shipment will cover about 15 percent of the immediate need, presidential economics advisor Brian Deese said.

He added there are "more flights in trains that will be coming in early this week" as part of what the administration has dubbed "Operation Fly Formula."

The formula shortage has been developing for months, aggravated not only by supply-chain issues linked to the Covid-19 pandemic but by the closing of the nation's largest formula-making plant, a Michigan factory owned by Abbott Laboratories, amid concerns that contamination may have led to the deaths of two infants.