On Tuesday, May 17, Nestle announced that it expedited the shipping of baby formula to the United States to help alleviate shortages in the country.
Per an emailed statement to Reuters, Nestle is specifically shipping Gerber and Alfamino baby formula because “they serve a critical medical purpose as they are for babies with cow’s milk protein allergies.”
Nestle sent the shipments via air from the Netherlands and Switzerland “to help fill immediate needs.”
As reported by The Dallas Express, U.S. supermarkets nationwide are struggling to keep baby formula on their shelves following a significant recall of three popular brands by Abbott Nutrition earlier in the year.
Four infants were suspected of contracting bacterial infections from Abbott-manufactured formula. They had to be hospitalized, and two ended up dying. As a result, Abbott voluntarily pulled the suspect formulas from grocery shelves.
The formulas in question were traced back to a single manufacturing plant in Sturgis, Michigan, which the FDA ordered Abbott to shut down in February.
Since four companies control roughly 90% of the baby formula industry in the United States, shutting down even a single production plant can affect supply.
While the shut down of the Sturgis plant did reduce baby formula supply, so did the consequent panic buying that ensued. The industry had been struggling to meet consumer demand for months.
Datasembly tracked “baby formula out-of-stock rates” for the past two years. It found a steady rise in the rate since July 2021.
The rate hit a high of approximately 17% in January 2022 before taking off due to the Sturgis shutdown. The baby formula out-of-stock rate currently sits at 43%.
While it may be months before the Sturgis plant can reopen, other companies are trying to increase production to alleviate U.S. shortages. Both Nestle and Reckitt Benckiser announced production boosts of up to 30%.