Nestle Exports Baby Formula Supplies To US From Europe

Due to the shortage of baby formula for families in the United States, Nestle SA is flying baby formula supplies to the United States from the Netherlands and Switzerland to alleviate the shortage in U.S. supermarkets, the company said on Tuesday.

Nestle is moving Gerber baby food formula to the United States from the Netherlands and Alfamino baby formula from Switzerland to the U.S., it said in an emailed statement to Reuters.

“We prioritized these products because they serve a critical medical purpose as they are for babies with cow’s milk protein allergies,” the company said. “Both products were already being imported but we moved shipments up and rushed via air to help fill immediate needs.”

Baby formula aisles at U.S. supermarkets have been emptied by panicked parents since top U.S. manufacturer Abbott Laboratories in February recalled dozens of types of its Similac, Alimentum, and EleCare formulas.

Reckitt Benckiser is boosting baby formula production by about 30% and making more frequent deliveries to stores as it looks to counter a nationwide shortage in U.S. supermarkets, an executive told Reuters on Tuesday.

Earlier on Monday, United States President Joe Biden’s administration announced steps to ease a nationwide shortage of baby formula, including reopening the largest domestic manufacturing plant and increasing imports from overseas.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it was streamlining its review process to make it easier for foreign manufacturers to begin shipping more formulas into the U.S.

“The FDA expects that the measures and steps it’s taking with infant formula manufacturers and others will mean more and more supply is on the way or store shelves moving forward,” FDA Commissioner Robert Califf told reporters.

Califf said the U.S. will prioritize companies that can provide the largest shipments and quickly show documentation that their formulas are safe and compatible with U.S. nutrition standards. The policy is structured as a temporary measure, lasting six months.

The announcement came shortly after regulators said they’d reached a deal to allow Abbott Nutrition to restart its plant in Sturgis, Mich., which has been closed since February due to contamination issues. The company must overhaul its safety protocols and procedures before resuming production.