US jets to fly Bubs Australia milk infant formula under Biden rescue plan

The first of Bubs Australia’s infant formula is set to fly to the US next week. See Joe Biden’s rescue plan.

The first cargoes of Bubs Australia’s infant formula will be flown to the US next week as part of President Joe Biden’s rescue mission to fill empty American supermarket shelves.

Bubs Australia chief executive Kristy Carr took part in a roundtable discussion with President Biden, senior US officials and other infant formula manufacturers yesterday as part of the White House’s plan to source emergency supplies of infant formula from Australia and Europe to counter a chronic shortage of products in US supermarkets.

The first shipments of Bubs Australia's goat milk infant formula will be flown to the US next week as part of the rescue plan to fill empty American supermarket shelves.

Bubs Australia was the only infant formula manufacturer from the Asia Pacific region to take part in the discussion.

The company had already been making commercial sales into the US but the rescue shipments under the President’s Operation Fly Formula Mission has given the Australian manufacturer a unique opportunity to boost its profile in that market.

President Biden has arranged 1.25 million tins of six Bubs Australia products, worth an estimated $40 million, to be flown into the country to provide relief to US families.

The first cargo of 500,000 tins will fly out of Tullamarine airport on Thursday and Saturday of next week using US Department of Defense contracted commercial aircraft.

Bubs Australia is working with the US Government on the shipment of the remaining 750,000 tins and the Biden Administration is expected to make an announcement in the coming days.

During yesterday’s roundtable discussion, President Biden talked about action his administration was taking to increase the production of infant formula in the US through the Defense Production Act but also the acceleration of imports the Operation Fly Formula.

Ms Carr said the meeting was insightful and participants shared their learnings about the shortage of infant formula in the US.

“It was pleasing to hear that FDA (Food and Drug Administration) regards safety as the highest priority and Bubs satisfies those gold standards,” she said.

“We were also interested to learn that the Administration is seeking to understand the broader regulatory environment going forward.”

The first cargoes will be flown direct to Bub’s nominated distribution centres in Pennsylvania and California.

Peter Hemphill’s family owns shares in Bubs Australia.