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Empty powdered milk shelves at a Texas drugstore on May 10
Photo: Kaylee Greenlee Beal / REUTERS
In view of the acute shortage of baby milk in the USA, the food company Nestlé has announced extraordinary deliveries from Switzerland and the Netherlands.
Baby food such as Alfamino from Switzerland or Gerber Good Start Extensive HA from the Netherlands has recently been sent separately by air so that it arrives faster.
"We have given these products priority because they serve an important medical purpose," said a company spokeswoman.
It is specifically about two brands of hypoallergenic milk, since the shortage in the USA is particularly hard on parents of children with cow's milk protein intolerance.
At the same time, according to the spokeswoman, Nestlé has also fully utilized the capacities in the factories and optimized the system in order to be able to produce more.
However, Nestlé is only a small player in the US infant formula market.
Import eased, US factory producing again
In the past few weeks, there have been delivery problems with baby milk in some regions of the USA.
The supply chains were initially affected by a shortage of workers due to the corona pandemic, and packaging was also scarce.
In February, the company Abbot – market leader in the US baby milk business – had to temporarily close its largest baby milk factory because there were indications of contamination.
The reason was the death of two babies.
The suspicion that the deaths were due to contaminated baby milk was not substantiated.
However, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) discovered irregularities, after which the factory remained closed.
In the face of empty shelves, numerous parents in the USA have been desperately looking for food for their children.
On Monday, the authorities finally allowed the reopening.
Because of the shortage, the FDA had also simplified importing infant formula into the United States.
This should give providers easier access to the US market.
Normally, according to the authority, 98 percent of the infant formula consumed is produced domestically.
Apr/AFP/AFX
