USDA giving WIC families formula waivers

(CNN) - Low income families will now have easier access to baby formula amid a nationwide shortage.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Monday it is offering waivers so families with federal Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, or WIC, benefits can access formula that is not normally available to them.

The products have been imported from other countries as part of Operation Fly Formula, a program the Biden administration launched last month in the wake of a massive recall of Abbott Nutrition baby formula in February.

About half of the infant formula in the U.S. is purchased by those using federal WIC benefits, which allow parents to obtain formula for free but comes with restrictions on type, size and brand.

About 1.2 million infants are part of the program.