LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- More than 500,000 8-ounce bottles of baby formula landed in Louisville on Thursday as a shortage continues to plague the country.

Crews unloaded the bottles on nearly 20 pallets out of a plane at UPS Worldport. At the airport Thursday, Kentucky Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman said while the shipment is headed to hospitals, home health companies and WIC programs all over the U.S., some of it will go to to Indianapolis to be distributed regionally, and Kentuckians will benefit as well.

"I was so honored to be able to be here to say thank you to the folks that made this possible and to shake the hands of the pilots that have eased the minds of the mothers in Kentucky," Coleman said.

The shipment — filled with Nestle's Alfamino and Alfamino Junior specialty formula — came from Switzerland as part of President Joe Biden's "Operation Fly Formula." The federal government is struggling to address nationwide shortages of formula, particularly hypoallergenic varieties, after the closure of the country's largest domestic manufacturing plant in February due to safety issues.

Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration eased importation requirements for baby formula to try to ease the supply crunch, which has left store shelves bare of some brands and some retailers rationing supply for parents nervous about feeding their children.

By Sunday, "Operation Fly Formula" will have imported enough baby formula for 13 million 8-ounce bottles.

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