(Reuters) – Global companies that make baby formula are bringing products into the United States after the country’s health regulator relaxed its import policy to address a nationwide shortage partly triggered by Abbott Laboratories’ manufacturing plant in Michigan recalling some products in February.
Importers include Neocate maker Danone SA, while New Zealand’s dairy giants Fonterra and a2 Milk have submitted applications to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for supplying baby formula to the United States.
Once the products arrive in the country and receive a sign-off from the FDA, the manufacturers will distribute them through their existing supply chains and cater to unfulfilled orders, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said.
Here’s a list of companies that are bringing in baby formula to the U.S. market in the wake of the crisis:
Date of Manufacturer Major imports
announcement
May 27 Bubs Australia Ltd Plans to ship at least 1.25 million
cans of several varieties of its
formula
May 26 Danone SA Has doubled shipments of its
formula, with about 500,000
additional cans to be sent to the
U.S.
Nestle SA U.S. FDA says 249,500
June 2 cans from Germany of Nestle’s NAN
Supreme Pro 1 and NAN Supreme Pro 2
baby formula to be available in June
and July
Nestle SA 114 pallets of Gerber
May 25 Good Start Extensive HA formula
delivered in Virginia
May 22 Nestle SA Has been flying supplies from the
Netherlands and Switzerland and
delivered 132 pallets of its Health
Science Alfamino and Alfamino Jr
infant formulas
May 24 Kendal Nutricare About 2 million cans of infant
formula expected to reach U.S. store
shelves from the UK, beginning June,
with 40,000 cans in stock for
immediate dispatch
May 16 Reckitt Benckiser Has boosted baby formula production
by about 30% and expediting the
approval of some products made at a
facility in Mexico
(Reporting by Deborah Sophia in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Leah Douglas in Washington; Editing by Anil D’Silva)
