INDIANAPOLIS — Operation Fly Formula‘s first shipment of 78,000 pounds of specialty infant formula arrived at the Indianapolis International Airport (IND) Sunday morning.
A plane from Ramstein Air Base in Germany brought the formula. President Joe Biden launched Operation Fly Formula to speed up the import of infant formula and start getting more formula to stores as soon as possible. According to the White House, this formula will be distributed to doctors office and pharmacies and not store shelves.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is also in Indianapolis. He spoke on the tarmac shortly after the plane landed and says the shipment should help around 9,000 babies and 18,000 toddlers for one week. The shipment was taken off of the cargo plane and loaded onto FedEx trucks before being taken to a Nestle distribution center. Then, the formula will be delivered to hospitals and home healthcare clinics across the country.
“The reason why we are doing this is obviously the critical need that is out there,” Vilsack said. “This is an important step, but it is by no means the only step that must take place.”
Vilsack says half of the formula used in the United States is often funneled through the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, better known as WIC.
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