There’s a sliver of hope during this ongoing baby formula shortage crisis. 750,000 cans of Aptamil, a popular European formula, will be shipped to the U.S. — which is the equivalent of almost 19 million 8-ounce bottles. They’re expected to arrive stateside at the end of June and should be available for purchase in early July.
According to the FDA, Aptamil is appropriate for most infants and meets U.S. nutrient requirements. It may not be suitable for infants who were born prematurely, had a low birth weight, low iron levels at birth, or are at risk of becoming iron deficient because of an illness.
Aptamil is backed by more than 50 years of breast milk research and is one of the top formula brands in the UK. The shipment was coordinated by Aptamil’s parent company, Danone, and Happy Family Organics, an environmentally friendly baby food company.
“The Happy Family Organics team has been working tirelessly to help mitigate the nationwide formula shortage – first, by doing everything we can to increase our Happy Baby formula supply produced in the US,” Anne Laraway, CEO of Happy Family Organics, said in a statement. “We wanted to do more, so today, we are pleased to share that we have been working closely with the US government and our parent company Danone, the number two global maker of formula, to bring Aptamil, the number one formula brand in Europe, into the United States.” If you have questions about switching formulas, you can contact Happy Family Organics’ team of infant feeding experts and lactation consultants, who are available (for free!) seven days a week.
Another bit of news to feel hopeful about? There’s more formula hitting shelves through President Biden’s initiative, Operation Fly Formula. “Vice President Harris will travel to Dulles International Airport to announce the arrival of over 14,000 pounds of Kendamil infant formula—the equivalent of more than 200,000 8-ounce bottles of formula—that will be used to add more supply to shelves,” the White House said in a statement on June 17.
While we wait for these shipments to arrive, the FDA continues to caution against making your own formula or diluting formulas. Parents are encouraged to speak with their child’s health care provider for recommendations on changing feeding practices.
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