FDA Commissioner Said FDA Was “Too Slow” to Allow Foreign Firms to Supply Baby Formula to Fill Empty Shelves in U.S. Stores

(p. A3) Federal health regulators outlined plans Friday [Sept. 30, 2022] that will allow overseas baby-formula makers to continue selling their products in the U.S. long term following a baby-formula shortage that led to empty shelves at some stores.

. . .

The guidance is expected to help bolster the supply chain for baby formula and could be a financial gain for global manufacturers that have long sought to enter the concentrated U.S. market, where Abbott Laboratories and Reckitt Benckiser Group account for most infant- and toddler-formula sales.

. . .

The FDA responded by temporarily letting foreign manufacturers ship their products to the U.S. FDA Commissioner Robert Califf commissioned an external review of the agency’s food division, saying in congressional testimony that the agency’s response to the shortage was too slow.

For the full story, see:

Stephanie Armour. “FDA Sets New Plan On Baby Formula.” The Wall Street Journal (Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022): A3.

(Note: ellipses, and bracketed date, added.)

(Note: the online version of the story has the date September 30, 2022, and has the title “Overseas Baby-Formula Makers Given Path to Keep Selling in U.S.”)