Kendamil, a leading infant formula in the United Kingdom will be brought over to the United States beginning June 9 as part of the Biden administration's "Operation Fly Formula," the president announced Wednesday.
United Airlines will transport the formula free of charge from Heathrow Airport in London to Chicago O’Hare Airport in Illinois over a three-week period. Each shipment will contain over 300,000 pounds of formula. The manufacturer, Kendal Nutricare, has pledged 2 million cans of infant formula, the equivalent of 60 million 8-ounce bottles in their commitment to the U.S.
Last week, the FDA announced that it would exercise enforcement discretion with select infant formulas to increase availability in the U.S. Currently, the approved products on the FDA's list include three Stage 1 formulas by Kendamil, six formulas by Australian brand Bubs, and the specialized formula Neocate, for medical needs.
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Kendamil will be available for purchase in Target stores nationwide. Purchase limits will continue to be enforced. Parents can visit Kendamil's U.S. website and Instagram page for the most up-to-date information.
Long before the formula shortage, many U.S. parents had already turned to European infant formulas like Kendamil, often discovering them through word-of-mouth. The brand was reportedly chosen by the Duchess of Cambridge when it came time to wean Prince Louis.
Kendamil is the only British-made baby milk, sourcing its milk fresh from Red Tractor Accredited farms. Organic and conventional cow formulas are available along with goat formula, which would be a first for the U.S. as no other goat milk formulas are currently certified for sale to infants under the age of one.
Whole milk is the main ingredient and source of fat and plant-based Omega-3s are used over conventional fish oil. Palm oil, a controversial ingredient often blamed for deforestation is also not found in Kendamil.
Kendamil had been in discussions with the FDA for a number of weeks since news first broke of the formula shortages and the measures announced by the Biden Administration to bring international brands into the U.S.
Ross McMahon, CEO of Kendal Nutricare said in a statement: "The relationship between the UK and USA is very strong and we look forward to bringing the highest-quality formula to US parents, while supporting British jobs, local farming and organic dairy".
