The Irish dairy industry is helping the US address a severe shortage in baby formula by air-shipping millions of cans of baby formula to the country. The US has been short of product following some product recalls, supply chain issues and unprecedented inflation levels.
In a statement, Abbott, one of Ireland’s largest manufacturers, said they have shipped vast quantities of the infant formula by air from their facility in Cootehill, Co Cavan. This year, they will more than double their supply of Similac Advance baby formulas to the US.
“Our Cootehill team sources ingredients from approximately 1,000 dairy farms in the local area. Following stringent quality and safety processes, each batch of infant formula undergoes extensive quality checks before it reaches stores,” Abbott said.
Abbott, based in the US, has been operating in Ireland for more than 70 years. It operates from nine sites in the country, providing employment for close to 3,000 people. The Cootehill, Co Cavan plant is registered by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Meanwhile, global consumption of baby formula is increasing by 2-3% annually in volume. Ireland is one of the leaders in the manufacture of baby formula. As such, specialised baby nutrition exports from the country was valued at EUR 905 million in 2019, up from EUR 896m in 2020. However, the value of these exports fell to EUR 682m in 2021.