Else Nutrition Commends HHS & FDA’s Operation Stork Speed on Expanding Infant Formula Options

ELSE NUTRITION HOLDINGS INC. (BABY) (BABYF) (0YL.F) (“Else” or the “Company”), applauds the leadership of Secretary Robert F. Kennedy in launching Operation Stork Speed, a strategic initiative by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) aimed at expanding infant formula options. This effort demonstrates the importance of nutritional adequacy and supply chain resilience while facilitating the development of new infant formulas within the United States.

As part of its commitment to bringing the first whole food, minimally processed, clean-label, plant-based infant formula to American families, Else Nutrition has been actively engaged in a robust Washington D.C. effort through its U.S. office. This includes hiring a leading healthcare lobbying firm, conducting bipartisan Congressional meetings across both chambers, and preparing to launch a grassroots lobbying program. To date, this effort has resulted in significant Congressional oversight on modernized FDA guidance on plant-based, non-soy, non-dairy infant formula options—an essential step for Else Nutrition to conduct key clinical trials in the U.S.

In January 2025, the FDA released their Long-Term National Strategy to Increase the Resiliency of the U.S. Infant Formula Market, which followed the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine also recently convening a study on these issues. This week’s announcement of Operation Stork Speed is another significant step from HHS in ensuring access to safe, high quality infant formulas.

“At Else Nutrition, we are dedicated to ensuring that families across America have access to safe, high-quality, minimally processed plant-based nutrition options,” said Hamutal Yitzhak, CEO & Co-Founder of Else Nutrition. “Many infants with medical, dietary or dietary needs require such formulas. Congress has taken significant action to ensure access to these formulas and we are pleased to see the Administration continue this most important work. We applaud President Trump and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy for their leadership in launching Operation Stork Speed and look forward to collaborating with HHS and the FDA to create a modernized regulatory pathway for plant-based, non-soy, non-dairy infant formulas. By combining rigorous science with the power of natural ingredients like almonds, buckwheat, and tapioca, we are redefining early childhood nutrition to be healthier, more sustainable, and more accessible to parents seeking clean-label alternatives.”