The “Operation Fly Formula” is no small thing and has top priority in the military and politics. Around the world, the United States is currently trying to buy baby milk to make up for a dramatic domestic shortage. Another 114 pallets are to be flown in in the coming days, but commercial airliners may be used. But the logistics reserves of the American armed forces still have to deliver baby food across the country.
What happened? The largest US plant for the production of milk powder for baby food, a production facility of the US company Abbott in Michigan, had been closed by the FDA due to hygiene deficiencies. There had been deaths and recalls.
The company denies causing the problem, saying the FDA has not found any contaminants in finished products. Abbott, whose US market share is 50 percent, is now working closely with the FDA to ramp up the plant again, but it could take weeks.
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The crisis of empty baby food shelves went unnoticed for a long time. This also has something to do with the conservatives in US politics: the protection of unborn life is very important there, but children who are already born are often not the focus of their politics. The number of children in the USA who regularly suffer from malnutrition even in “normal” times and are dependent on donated food is surprisingly high for the richest economy on earth. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the number has even increased.
As in Las Vegas, almost everywhere in the country: people are looking for baby milk in the almost empty supermarket shelves.
(Photo: dpa)
In addition, the problem may have come at just the right time for Republicans to hype it up as a prime example of the incompetence of the Biden administration ahead of the important US midterm elections. Right-wing social media activists created scenarios in which Biden practically snatched bottles from American babies’ mouths with his own hands in order to distribute them to children of refugees at the Mexican border.
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However, statisticians point out that these existing aid programs for refugees account for a barely measurable share of baby milk consumption. Nevertheless, Biden can only defend himself to a limited extent. Because democratic politicians apparently played along willingly when US President Donald Trump laid the roots for the evil.
When the Nafta trade deals were renegotiated with Canada and Mexico, importing Canadian milk was made virtually impossible and unprofitable by tariffs to protect domestic farm and dairy industries – staunch Trump supporters.
Biden initially reacted incorrectly: with arrogance
Now the domestic industry shares 98 percent of the market. Even European manufacturers often no longer try to comply with the strict import regulations and do without. Nevertheless, according to Rick Scott from Florida, Republican senators now stand in front of the cameras and show pictures of empty shelves in the USA and bulging everywhere else in the world and boldly demand: “Biden must act.”
When asked about the current situation, the President initially simply replied that it could only have been foreseen “if we were better mind readers”. However, that was the last straw even for some Democrats. Army planes are now flying in milk powder – and import hurdles are also to be lowered.
The army will then also strategically distribute the products. Because the companies do have sales apparatuses. But they are aligned with their business interests, not needy babies in underserved rural areas. The WIC (Women, Infants, Children) aid program for needy, mostly single women with children has developed into a major problem that the Biden administration could have recognized even without clairvoyant abilities.
Each state contracts with exactly one manufacturer and only their products are allowed to buy the WIC beneficiaries at a discount. As the shelves emptied, the poorest were the first to feel the need. They simply had no money to buy other, more expensive brands on their own account.
This is only to change now in an emergency regulation. Until then, the milk bombers from Ramstein will alleviate the suffering of children in the United States.
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