Reckitt Benckiser, the brand owner for Enfamil, has disclosed its plan to import infant-formula powder to the US from a facility in Singapore, in what it said is the largest contribution so far from a manufacturer aimed at mitigating a nationwide supply shortage in the US.
Reckitt said it will send the equivalent of 66 million 8-oz bottles of base infant formula powder between now and November— enough to feed more than 130,000 babies a month, on average. The powder is set to begin shipping in June 2022 to a facility in Minnesota, where it will then be blended and packaged for distribution.
Baby formula has been in severe supply shortage for months due to supply chain disruption caused by the pandemic, and then later worsened by product recalls and production halt by Abbott Laboratories, another major infant milk producer under the Similac brand.
Several other manufacturers have committed to increase production and import formula supplies into the US to help alleviate shortages, and they include Gerber owner Nestle and Danone but these will take time to satisfy the demand.
Enfamil is a market leader in the US with 35% share, however its share has grown recently due to recalls and production disruption for Similac (Abbott).
