FDA says 696,000 cans of Australian baby formula will be available this summer
More than half a million cans of baby formula from Australia will make its way into the U.S. this summer as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to address the national baby formula shortage.
The FDA said shipments of baby formula from Bellamy's Organic – an organic baby formula and food producer, will arrive and be distributed in "early July and over the next several months," according to a news release.
Currently, the estimated quantity that’ll arrive in the U.S. is 696,000 cans, which the FDA said is equivalent to 21 million eight-ounce bottles.
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The Bellamy's Organic baby formula shipment will be made up of two "general" formula types, including the brand’s Organic Infant Formula Step 1 for babies between ages 0 and 6 months and Organic Follow-On Formula Step 2 for babies between ages 6 and 12.
Parents will be able to find Bellamy's Organic at major retailers and specialty stores, according to the FDA.
Online listings for Bellamy's Organic formula appear to retail for around $35 for a single 900-gram (31.7-ounce) can.
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Bellamy's Organic was founded in 2000 by English botanist David Bellamy and Tasmanian recipe developer Dooley Crighton-Bellamy.
The brand became Australia’s first organically certified baby food manufacturer in 2004. The company is headquartered in Launceston, Australia.
In 2019, Bellamy’s Organic was acquired by the China Mengniu Dairy Company, which is a publicly-traded dairy manufacturer and distributor.
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The FDA reports that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will continue to evaluate options for getting safe baby formula into the U.S. as quickly as possible.
Americans have been experiencing a shortage of baby formula due to labor and supply chain disruption, product recalls and the related manufacturing plant shutdown of Abbott Nutrition’s factory in Sturgis, Michigan.
Abbott Nutrition is one of the four major baby formula producers in the U.S. Its competitors include Nestle USA, Mead Johnson Nutrition and Perrigo Pediatrics.