FDA Launches ‘Operation Stork Speed’ to Ensure Safety of Infant Formula

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Tuesday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will launch a project under the guidance of HHS Director Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to “ensure ongoing quality, safety, nutritional validity and resilience of domestic infant supply.”

A project called “Operation Speed” Included The nutritional review process has begun, and actions and initiatives such as increasing testing of heavy metals and other contaminants say the FDA has not reviewed infant nutrients comprehensively since 1998.

“The FDA will use all resources and authorities at will to ensure that infant formula products are safe and healthy for the families and children who rely on them,” Kennedy said in a statement. “Helping each family and child get off to the right start at birth is important to our pursuit of ensuring America is healthy again.”

The agency also recommends that businesses are looking for opportunities to develop new infant formulas and let consumers know the ingredients in the formula.

According to the agency, the FDA is:

• To begin the first comprehensive update and review of infant formula nutrients by the FDA since 1998, we will launch the nutritional reviews required by law by issuing information requests in the coming months.
• Children consume more tests for heavy metals and other contaminants in infant milk powder and other foods
• Expanding personal import policy
• Encourage businesses to work with the FDA on questions about increased transparency and clearer labeling
• Communication regularly with consumers and industry stakeholders when critical developments occur to ensure transparency, including information about nutrients and health outcomes.
• Working with the National Institutes of Health and other scientific organizations to address gaps in priority science research on short- and long-term health outcomes related to lifelong infancy and childhood formula feeding.

“The FDA is deeply committed to ensuring that these products are safe, consistently available and contain essential nutrients to promoting health and well-being at critical stages of development and life. “Whether breastfeeding, bottle-fed, and both, the upward generation must nourish them in ways that promote health and longevity over the course of life.”