Military plane rushes baby formula to US health systems

Store shelves across the US remain short of baby formula after a military plane carrying enough to fill half a million baby bottles arrived in the US on Sunday but its contents were rushed to health system outlets to feed babies with specific allergies.

The 35 tons of formula had been shipped from Switzerland via Germany and arrived in Indianapolis on Sunday, after Joe Biden authorized the use of military planes.

That left many parents who are still scouring supermarket shelves for supplies of regular formula out of luck.

More supply flights are due and the Biden administration has ordered a ramping up of production in the US, including increased delivery of raw materials to formula manufacturers.

Longer term, the government has expressed a desire for more competition in the domestic industry, which is dominated by a handful of companies.

Last week, the leading brand Abbott reached an agreement with US health regulators to resume production at its largest domestic factory, in Sturgis, Michigan, which has been under investigation over safety concerns.