Photo: Courtesy of Kendamil.
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Amid a national shortage of baby formula in the United States, a United Kingdom-based formula company is planning to ship their product to Boston this month, as part of the Biden Administration's 'Operation Fly Formula.'
Between June 20 and 24, British baby formula brand Kendamil, will be working with Delta Airlines who will be flying their product over to the U.S. from Heathrow Airport in London to Boston Logan International Airport for free, with an initial shipment totaling to over 212,000 pounds of formula, or around 3.2 million eight-ounce bottles. Though Kendamil says that is only the beginning, as the company has a long-term plan to export up to 54 million bottles to the U.S. through November of this year.
According to Kendamil officials, the formula will be distributed around the country and multiple airports, and will eventually become available for online purchase.
Photo: Courtesy of Kendamil.
WBZ's Nichole Davis spoke with Kendamil's Co-founder Dylan McMahon about the effort to bring their product to the United States under 'Operation Fly Formula.'
"When the news started being reported that there were shortages in the U.S., and that parents were left without any food for their infants, in a case where formula is the sole source of nutrition for these infants— we absolutely had to reach out," McMahon said.
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Before shipments could be made, Kendamil had to receive the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval to enter the U.S. market, something McMahon says American parents have been inquiring about for the last five years, well before there was a national shortage. Because of that, discussions have been ongoing, and the approval process was able to move along relatively quick.
According to McMahon, the English Lake District company was at an advantage to receive the FDA's approval, as their product is already nutritionally complaint in the U.S. as Kendamil's recipe meets all requirements especially on items such as iron levels. Kendamil's labeling also comes in English, which McMahon says was another factor that helped expedite the process. Across the pond, Kendamil put together a hundred-page submission to the FDA in just a matter of days.
McMahon says that while the effort has been a whirlwind, the company feels it will be worth it for Kendamil to reach American families in need.
"It's a really challenging time and our hearts go out to those parents. To those parents, we are coming, and we intend to stay here even after this window— Kendamil is intending to stay in the U.S. There's an enormous amount of pride in the company that we're able to support these families, and I'm proud of the team at Kendamil for making this happen," McMahon said.
WBZ's Nichole Davis (@NicholeDWBZ) reports.
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