‘They did, but I didn’t’: Biden denies baby formula makers’ claim shortage was expected in awkward joint briefing

President Joe Biden has said that he wasn’t made aware of the baby formula shortage crisis until April, but industry leaders said they raised the alarm two months earlier.

During a joint briefing on Wednesday, the senior vice president at baby formula manufacturer Reckitt, Robert Cleveland, said that “we knew from the very beginning that this would be a very serious event”.

Mr Biden and five baby formula executives laid out differing timelines during the virtual event hosted at the White House to discuss the administration’s work to boost formula production.

Following reports of unsanitary conditions, the crisis began when Abbott Nutrition’s formula plant in Sturgis, Michigan was closed down on 17 February.

Abbott’s production makes up 46.2 per cent of the US formula supply and about a quarter of their inventory came from the Sturgis plant, USA Today reported.

“From the moment that recall was announced, we reached out immediately to retail partners like Target, Walmart to tell them this is what we think will happen,” Mr Cleveland told the president.

After the meeting, which lasted 50 minutes, Mr Biden said again that “I don’t think anyone anticipated the impact of the shutdown of Abbott facility”, shortly after the manufacturers said they expected a shortage.

“They did, but I didn’t,” Mr Biden said, noting that he wasn’t told about the issue until early April. “We did everything in our power from that point on. That’s all I can tell you right now. And we’re going to continue to do it together.”

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the administration has instituted “a whole-of-government approach” from “day one of the recall” of products from Abbott in February despite Mr Biden not being made aware until April.

“What you hear from the president is his frustration with this issue itself,” she said.

Abbott executives didn’t take part in the meeting despite being at the epicentre of the crisis. When asked why Abbott wasn’t present, Ms Jean-Pierre noted that the company has a consent decree with the FDA. It lists certain goals to be reached to restart production.

“That process is ongoing and should remain between them,” she said.

Executives from ByHeart, Bubs Australia, Reckitt, Perrigo, and Gerber attended the meeting and are cooperating with the government to fill the empty space left by Abbott. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and Surgeon General Vivek Murthy were also present at the meeting.

Mr Biden spoke as the CEOs could be seen on large screens. The president boosted the administration’s “Operation Fly Formula”, speaking about the government’s efforts to import baby formula from abroad and by using the Defense Production Act to increase production at home. Both measures were first announced in May – three months after the Abbott facility was closed in February.

“There’s nothing more stressful than the feeling you can’t get what your child needs,” Mr Biden said.

The president announced the third and fourth shipments sent via Operation Fly Formula – United Airlines will fly more than 300,000 pounds of Kendamil formula for free. That’s enough for around 3.7 million 8-ounce bottles. The shipments will be made over the course of three weeks starting on 9 June. The flights will come from London and arrive across the US.

Two flights will take off from Melbourne, Australia on 9 and 11 June bringing 380,000 pounds of Bubs Australia infant formula to Pennsylvania and California – enough for about 4.6 million 8-ounce bottles. Further shipments will be announced shortly.

“Still, we have work to do, but we are making incredible progress,” Mr Biden said. He added that it could take a “couple more months” for the formula market to stabilize.

The White House has said that Operation Fly Formula has brought 1.5 million 8-ounce bottles by Nestle and Gerbers to the US.

Three formula makers will be given priority to get supplies through the Defence Production Act. Mr Cleveland said that measure has supplied Reckitt with essential oils. Starting this month, they will produce 40 million baby formula feedings a week.

Abbott announced a recall of three powder formulas in February and closed the Sturgis plant during an investigation by the FDA, which found worrying bacterial strains at the plant. Four months earlier, a whistleblower lodged a complaint with the FDA, claiming that there were a number of issues at the facility, such as loose sanitation measures, failure to run proper tests for bacteria in the formula, and the falsifying of records.

Mr Biden said there will be “significantly more” formula available in the US in the next month and that the supply will increase further following the reopening of the Abbott plant, which is planned for Saturday.

“Ensuring [the] safety of a newborn child is a mother and father’s top priority,” Mr Biden said. “It’s been my top priority as a father and a grandfather, and it remains at the top of my priorities today as president of the United States.”