By Chris Wack

 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday said it is expecting 249,500 cans of Nestle SA's NAN Supreme Pro 1 and NAN Supreme Pro 2 baby formula to be available in June and July.

The FDA said the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is evaluating options for getting Nestle's products to the U.S. as quickly as possible.

The Nestle cans hold about 440,000 pounds of formula, or nearly 6.5 million full-size, 8-ounce bottles, the agency said.

The FDA said it is exercising enforcement discretion to import the infant formula products, following the review of nutritional adequacy and safety, as well as facility production and inspection. The FDA has encouraged overseas manufacturers to apply to ship their formula to the U.S., easing rules that had effectively prevented shipments from many such companies.

The agency said it remains in further discussions with manufacturers and suppliers regarding additional supply.

Baby formula has been in short supply for months partly because of supply-chain issues caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Product recalls and a production halt by Abbott have exacerbated the shortages.

The FDA said it expects the potential for Abbott Laboratories' Sturgis, Mich., facility to safely resume production in the near-term to lead to additional supply. Abbott closed its Sturgis plant, which makes Similac and other brands, in February after the FDA said it found the presence of a germ called cronobacter sakazakii, which can be deadly in infants, in the factory.

The FDA said it continues to advise the public against making infant formulas at home or diluting formula.

 

Write to Chris Wack at chris.wack@wsj.com

 

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

June 02, 2022 11:28 ET (15:28 GMT)

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