WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. regulators on Friday unveiled their plan to allow foreign baby formula manufacturers to stay on the market long term, an effort to diversify the nation's tightly concentrated industry and prevent future shortages. The U.S. has been forced to turn to foreign manufacturers to boost formula supplies since February, when FDA inspectors temporarily shuttered the nation’s largest domestic formula factory due to bacterial contamination. In May, the FDA eased federal import regulations and President Joe Biden authorized the airlift of millions of pounds of powdered formula from overseas. Together those actions have brought the equivalent of 300 million bottles of formula into the country, according to the FDA. Foreign formula companies seeking to remain in the U.S. must meet specific thresholds for 30 nutrients and undergo manufacturing inspections by FDA staff, among other steps.

Source: The Guardian September 30, 2022 22:29 UTC