British maker of baby milk for the royal family will fly formula to the US to combat shortages

Catherine Neilan

May 27, 2022 9:47 AM

A UK manufacturer of baby formula is sending products to the US to overcome shortages.

Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge; Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge; and Prince Louis of Cambridge on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in June 2019

Kendal Nutricare makes the formula that Kate Middleton fed to Prince Louis.Parents have faced ongoing shortages of baby formula linked mainly to product recalls in the US.

A UK manufacturer of the baby food used by the British royal family to feed Prince Louis will fly formula to the US to help combat ongoing shortages.

Kendamil, produced by Kendal Nutricare, is in talks with the US Food and Drug Administration to fly the formula to the US and plans to send enough to fill 100 trucks over the next six months, the company said.

The baby milk, as well as Kendamil baby cereal products, were reportedly fed to Prince Louis by the Duchess of Cambridge.

Manufacturers are now sending products to the US as part of Operation Fly Formula, which was launched by President Biden on May 18 to combat ongoing shortages caused by supply chain issues and product recalls.

The recalls affected some formula made by Abbott Nutrition at its factory in Sturgis, Michigan, following complaints of bacterial infection in four infants who consumed the product.

Parents have struggled to secure tins of their preferred formula as retailers including Target, CVS, and Walgreens also rationed supplies.

Under the plan, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture can use military aircraft to transport baby formula that meets the FDA standards into the US. The first batch of Nestle formula arrived in Indiana from Switzerland on Sunday.

Dylan McMahon, cofounder of Kendamil, told Insider:"The urgency and scale of the baby milk shortages in the USA is extremely concerning. We can only imagine how stressful it must be for those parents affected and are delighted to be able to step in and help."

"We look forward to bringing the highest-quality formula to the US parents, while supporting British jobs, local farming and organic dairy," he added.

Kendal Nutricare is based in Kendal in the Lake District of northwest England and is the UK's only manufacturer of infant formula. The company was founded in 1962.