The formula will be distributed to areas around the country where there is the most acute need, a Biden administration official earlier told CNN.
The shipment includes 132 pallets of formula, which arrived on one C-17 cargo plane. The formula originated from Zurich, Switzerland, and was trucked to Germany, where it was loaded on the C-17 and flown to the US.
A Biden administration official told CNN earlier that the product contained in the first shipment will be distributed to hospitals, doctors, home health care facilities and pharmacies in regions "where the needs are most acute."
The official said that none of the first shipment would land on store shelves in the US, adding that the formula being shipped Sunday is hypoallergenic and will be fed to babies intolerant of protein in cow milk.
The aircraft transported pallets of Nestlé Health Science formula -- including Alfamino Infant and Alfamino Junior. At the site of the arrival in Indianapolis on Sunday, a Nestlé spokesperson said, "Some cases are ready for distribution in the next couple of days. Others will be released into the supply chain after standard quality testing is completed."
"We're going to keep ramping that up until we get there," Deese said.
Pressed by Bash on how the US ended up in a position in which baby formula has to be airlifted into the country, Deese in part blamed market consolidation.
"It goes back to this question of how we can bring more competition in our economy, have more providers have this formula so that no individual company has this much control over supply chains," he said.
The Biden administration official told CNN earlier that the product was coming from a factory that has already gone through US FDA approval -- meaning US inspectors would only need to conduct "spot checks" Sunday after the product lands. Those checks include ensuring that the product was not damaged in transit and has appropriate labeling. An FDA inspector is onsite to conduct the spot check. Separately, Nestlé will conduct its own quality check at its local distribution site.
From Indianapolis, FedEx partners will assist with sorting and distribution, the official said.
Additionally, the Biden administration is engaged in conversations with makers of other European baby formula to approve and obtain excess supplies for US distribution, the administration official told CNN.
Indianapolis was chosen as the arrival site for the formula because the Nestlé distribution site is located there. The official added that the administration is plugging into the existing distribution chain.
"We're turning a two-week process into 72 hours," the official said.
This story and headline have been updated.