To overcome the shortage of infant milk in the United States, the Danone group is increasing the export of Neocate milk, intended for babies allergic to cow’s milk proteins.
The shortage of powdered milk for American babies continues to worry parents and doctors. Indeed, some powdered milks are only manufactured by the Abbott brand, which closed one of its factories in early May. Some parents have tried by all means to obtain infant milk, sometimes buying baby milk at exorbitant prices on the internet. Others have tried to make their own breast milk, but American doctors have warned of the dangers of such homemade recipes. They are also ringing the alarm bell following infant hospitalization : according to Business Insiderat least 4 babies have been admitted due to nutritional deficiencies at the Medical University of South Carolina and other establishments have recorded cases in Atlanta, Memphis and Tennessee.
Danone accelerates the export of infant milk to the USA
To support the United States and help babies, especially infants allergic to cow’s milk proteinthe Danone brand plans to export 500,000 additional boxes of Neocate milk, from its factory in Liverpool. These new deliveries should make it possible to fill more than 5 million bottles! “We have to deal with the emergencies affecting the most vulnerable infants. We are doing everything to deliver more products to the United States. We have therefore increased production to the maximum to continue to serve, at the same time, families in other countries in which we are present,” said the general secretary of Danone’s specialized nutrition division, Magdalena Broseta. On May 17, the Nestlé brand also announced the shipment of infant formula to the USA from Switzerland and the Netherlands. It was also about two brands of hypoallergenic baby milks intolerant to cow’s milk proteins: Gerber Good Start Extensive HA milk, and Alfamino milk. “We have prioritized these products because they address critical medical needs.”said a spokeswoman for the Nestlé group.
Abbott Group Chairman apologizes
The CEO of Abbott, the infant milk brand that closed one of its factories in February, has apologized in the newspaper washington post of May 21. “We are sorry for all the families we have abandoned since our voluntary recall exacerbated the shortage of infant formula in our country” said Robert Ford who is ensuring more production in the coming months. “By the end of June, we will be providing more infant formula to Americans than in January before the recall. Finally, we are making significant investments to ensure this never happens again” he added.
An airlift to import infant formula into the United States
This May 18, Joe Biden announced the establishment of an airlift to import infant formula meets US standards. “The Ministry of Defense will use its contracts with commercial cargo airlines, as it did during the first months of the Covid pandemic, to transport products from factories overseas“explained the White House. The American president also asked his Ministers of Health and Agriculture to “take all possible and appropriate measures to import more baby milk” and invoked a law called the “Defense Production Act” which stipulates that the ingredients of infant milk powder must be sold in priority to milk manufacturers. Finally, the FDA relaxed its criteria in order to speed up the authorization of imports and authorized the restart of the Abbott factory in Sturgis.
Where does the milk shortage in the United States come from?
At the beginning of May, the stock-out rate reached 43% i.e. 10% more than the average for April 2022, according to data provider Datasembly. The infant milk shelves are indeed empty, in particular due to supply problems, as well as the closing of a factory of the manufacturer Abbott. The starting point of this shortage? The death of two babies which forced this milk manufacturer to recall powdered milk on February 17 (including Similac milk), in its factory located in Michigan. The targeted milk was ultimately not in question, but milk production could not resume, which aggravated the shortage.