First child components shipment arrives in U.S. from Europe

WASHINGTON, May 22 (Reuters) - A military cargo plane carrying the first shipment of toddler system from Europe to help deal with a critical shortage in the US landed in Indianapolis on Sunday, and the White House stated a second flight had been arranged.

A Feb. 17 recall by prime baby formula maker Abbott Laboratories (ABT.N) and the closing of its manufacturing plant in Sturgis, Michigan during an investigation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has created one of many largest toddler components shortages in recent historical past for U.S. families.

"This is an important step, but it's not at all the only step that should happen. We are going to continue to work as the president has instructed us to look for each opportunity to increase supply," stated Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who greeted the aircraft on its arrival.

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"This specific method is for a very, very small proportion of kids. Roughly 17,000 youngsters within the country principally are the beneficiaries of this explicit formula," he stated.

President Joe Biden's administration is in search of to stock empty shelves with 1.5 million containers of Nestle (NESN.S) specialty infant formulation. Biden final week invoked the Cold Warfare-era Protection Production Act to help improve provides.

The White House mentioned on Sunday a second flight carrying components would leave from Ramstein Air Base in Germany in coming days. The White Home mentioned that Abbott and a second child formula maker, Reckitt , have been the primary companies given precedence status for raw supplies below the Protection Manufacturing Act.

Pallets of infant method being shipped from Europe to america throughout Operation Fly Components are seen in a transport plane at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, in a photograph launched Could 22, 2022. The White House/Handout by way of REUTERS

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Nestle also said more shipments would arrive in the coming days. read extra

Troops used forklifts to unload packing containers of the cargo from the airplane in Indianapolis and onto trucks heading to distribution centers.The White House mentioned 78,000 kilos (35,000 kg) of specialty toddler components - enough for 500,000 bottles - had arrived on the flight.

Abbott, the largest U.S. supplier of powder toddler components, closed its Michigan plant following studies of bacterial infections in four infants, worsening a shortage amongst multiple manufacturers that started with supply-chain issues tied to the coronavirus pandemic.

Abbott Chief Executive Robert Ford apologized for the shortage on Sunday and promised to fix it, adding the plant would reopen in the first week of June, and it will take six to eight weeks for merchandise to reach retailer cabinets.

"We're sorry to every household we've let down since our voluntary recall exacerbated our nation’s child components shortage," he wrote in a Washington Publish column.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Sunday declared a state of emergency to forestall price gouging of child method.

"This emergency govt order will assist us to crack down on any retailer seeking to capitalize on this disaster by jacking up prices on this essential good," Adams said in an announcement.

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Reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein and Chris Gallagher, additional reporting by Jessica DiNapoli in Davos, Switzerland, Barbara Goldberg in New York and Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles; Editing by Ross Colvin, Invoice Berkrot, Chris Reese and Paul Simao

Our Requirements: The Thomson Reuters Trust Ideas.