Danone sends 1.3 million cans of Aptamil baby formula to U.S. to address shortage
By Jessica DiNapoli and Richa Naidu
NEW YORK/LONDON (Reuters) -French shopper items firm Danone’s North America unit stated on Wednesday it had shipped greater than 750,000 cans of its flagship Aptamil child formulation to america from Europe as a nationwide scarcity persists, with one other 550,000 cans on the way in which.
Whereas Aptamil is little identified in america, it’s a main model in Europe, the place Danone is a dominant drive available in the market. The transfer to introduce Aptamil to American dad and mom may give Danone, a comparatively small U.S. participant, the chance to seize market share from leaders Reckitt Benckiser and Abbott Laboratories.
The extra 550,000 Aptamil cans which can be en route from New Zealand will doubtless be accessible in August, whereas the preliminary shipments are already on cabinets and on-line at Walgreens, Safeway and another shops.
Danone additionally stated it had imported greater than 500,000 cans of Neocate, a specialised medical child formulation.
Abbott recalled dozens of manufacturers of child formulation in February, sparking one of many largest meals shortages in current American historical past. Since then, the U.S. authorities and Meals and Drug Administration have made it simpler for producers to get shipments into the nation, and appealed to corporations similar to Nestle and Reckitt to step up manufacturing.
In-stock charges of toddler formulation stay far under regular ranges, at about 70% for the week ended July 24, in response to knowledge from analysis agency IRI. In-stock charges have remained round 70% because the finish of June, in response to IRI.
(Reporting by Richa Naidu and Jessica DiNapoli; Modifying by Mark Potter and Invoice Berkrot)
