Authorities are leveraging the new authority from Congress’s recently passed law on access to infant formula to provide exemptions.
The previous Operation Fly Formula mission already met WIC standards because it already offered formula products available in the United States. Formally known as a special supplemental nutrition program for women, toddlers and children.
About half of US infant formula is purchased by people using federal WIC benefits. This gives you free milk powder, but limits the types, sizes, and brands you can choose from. About 1.2 million infants participate in the program.
This latest step is based on USDA’s response to recalls, expanding the benefits of WIC to include new imported formulations, said the senior director of public policy at the Nonprofit National WIC Association. One Brian Dittmeier said.
“The Operation Fly Formula strengthens supply in the short term and brings peace of mind to parents across the country, so it protects against failures like Abbott, builds a resilient manufacturing department, and is the most vulnerable baby in the country.” rice field.
Delivering infant formula to parents
The government has airlifted large quantities of recipes from other countries since last month. The government announced its fifth flight on Monday. This week, it will carry about 1.6 million bottles of Nestlé infant formula from Cologne, Germany to Fort Worth, Texas.
Abbott is the exclusive prescribing provider for about half of WIC’s babies.
WIC exemption
USDA has already provided a state exemption, offering a wide range of options for parents using WIC. With the exemption granted from February, families can purchase alternative container sizes and prescription formats, including those that exceed the normal maximum, or purchase alternative brands without a doctor’s note. The flexibility allows parents to get not only powders, but also concentrates and ready-to-eat formulas.
The third type of exemption allows stores to accept the exchange of infant formula purchased with WIC benefits.
Authorities said Monday that the USDA has approved far more than 250 state exemption requests. Currently, all states offer at least one exemption.
North Carolina and its contract formula maker Nestlé Gerber are the first to implement increased flexibility by agreeing to a contract change to increase access to formulas for WIC participants in the state, USDA said Monday. Said to. It allows them to choose different sizes, types and brands of formulas.
The Ohio state WIC agency has been approved by USDA since June 13 to cover eight additional products from Mead Johnson. Governor Mike Dewein said on Monday.
Formula is still difficult to find
However, formulas continue to be in short supply in many places.
WIC’s program manager told CNN at the end of last month that there were constant calls from families who couldn’t find powdered milk. Rural areas with a shortage of grocery stores seem to be the hardest, even in countries with generally less shortages.
Forty-nine US states and territories that have contracts with Abbott for the WIC formula also have Mead Johnson Nutrition, a subsidiary of Reckitt Benquiser, two other major formula companies, and Nestle, which manufactures Gerber. It seems that there was a bigger shortage for a long time than the one contracted with. brand.
In Michigan, which has a contract with Abbott, about 85% of WIC participants given infant formula are affected by recalls and shortages, said Lin Satfin, a spokesman for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. I am.
Stephanie Beth, Illinois’ WIC director, said the state was “quite in good shape” at the beginning of the country’s shortage because it had an official contract with Mead Johnson. Only about 1,000 families were affected at the onset of the shortage, but over the past few weeks there has been a significant increase in calls from caregivers who are unable to find a prescription.
CNN’s Jen Christensen contributed to this report.
Source: www.cnn.com
