(Washington) The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden is seeking to help foreign formula makers stay in the U.S. market for the long term, in a bid to diversify the industry after the nation’s largest factory closed. triggered a nationwide shortage.
Posted at 3:15 p.m.
On Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced its intention to help foreign producers who sent stock to the United States, as part of an emergency approval to remedy the shortage, to obtain authorization term to market their formula in the United States.
The agency will provide producers temporarily selling in the United States with a way to comply with existing regulatory requirements so they can stay in the market, giving consumers more choice and making supplies more resilient to current and future shortages.
The FDA will also host meetings and provide producers with a single point of contact to work through the regulatory system to make the application process more efficient.
“The need to diversify and strengthen the supply of infant formula in the United States is greater than ever,” said FDA Commissioner Dr.r Robert Califf, and Susan Mayne, director of the agency’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, in a statement. “The recent closure of a major infant formula factory, in addition to unforeseen natural weather events, has shown how vulnerable the supply chain has become. »
The United States has been trying to boost the supply of infant formula after regulators shut down a Michigan factory in February run by Abbott, the nation’s largest infant formula maker, over safety concerns. The factory reopened on June 4, after the company pledged to apply additional disinfection and safety protocols, but closed again in mid-June after bad weather caused damage to the factory. .
The company said it needed time to assess the damage and re-disinfect the plant after severe thunderstorms and heavy rains swept through southwest Michigan on June 13.
In May, the FDA relaxed federal import regulations to allow infant formula to be shipped to the United States, and the Biden administration offered federal support to get formula from overseas to the states. -United.
The White House said that by next Sunday, its efforts will have brought 43 million 8-ounce bottle equivalents of infant formula to the United States.
“Infant formula is an essential food product that is the only source of nutrition for many babies in the United States. Companies and their manufacturing facilities must meet rigorous FDA standards that ensure the formula is both safe and nutritious,” said Dr.r Califf and M.me Mayne. “These standards are necessary to protect our children and will not be sacrificed for long-term supply considerations,” they added.
The policy that temporarily gives the FDA discretionary authority over formula enforcement is set to expire in November, but the administration said it would renew it if necessary to ensure domestic supply.