LONDON, May 25 (Reuters) - Danone SA has been
doubling shipments to the United States of Neocate formula for
infants allergic to cow's milk while Enfamil maker Reckitt is
also working to boost supplies amid a nationwide shortage,
company executives said on Wednesday.
Top manufacturer Abbott Laboratories in February
recalled dozens of types of its Similac, Alimentum and EleCare
formulas, creating one of the most urgent food shortages in
recent history for U.S. families.
Reckitt said it is working "extremely closely" with
the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) on ways to increase
supply, including expediting the approval of some products made
at a facility in Mexico.
"Accelerating this process, while still ensuring high safety
and quality standards, would allow us to significantly increase
supply to U.S. consumers," Robert Cleveland, Reckitt's Senior
Vice President of North America and Europe Nutrition, said in
prepared remarks that he may read later on Wednesday at a
hearing with U.S. lawmakers on the shortages.
The British company, which supplies roughly half the U.S.
baby formula market, said it is also working with the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) to expand the availability of
formula under a program that helps low-income families.
Danone - the world's second-biggest baby formula maker after
Nestle but a relatively small player in the United
States with less than 5% of market share - is stepping up supply
of Neocate more broadly.
The Abbott recall affected 38 markets its not only the
U.S.," said Magdalena Broseta, Danone's Vice President General
Counsel of Specialized Nutrition.
"Our factory in Europe is serving multiple markets...of
course, the numbers and the volumes and the U.S. are bigger just
because of the size of the market.
The French company declined to say how many cans or tonnes
of product it is exporting.
When asked if Danone would bring its flagship Aptamil
formula into the United States, Broseta said the company had
been discussing a number of options with authorities, adding
that it was easier to increase imports of products that were
already available in the country than introduce new ones.
"Their focus is to try to unblock any logistical situations
that other players could be facing," she added. "It's a bit
early to say what exactly would that entail."
Broseta said Danone is producing more formula at its plant
in Liverpool, Britain and not rerouting product from elsewhere.
We will keep on serving our existing geographies at the
level of their respective demand," she said.
(Reporting by Richa Naidu
Editing by David Goodman, Kirsten Donovan)