Meiji Holdings is planning to enter the $5.9 billion U.S. baby formula market, joining Nestle SA, Danone DA and other global giants seeking to supply powdered milk to ease a national shortage.
Japan’s largest maker of baby formula has applied to the Food and Drug Administration for authorization to export to the United States, including specialized formula and its portable cube-shaped powder milk, Shinichirou Tanaka, manager of Meiji’s global infant nutrition business, said in an interview.
Parents in the U.S. are struggling to find baby formula amid a nationwide shortage, prompting President Joe Biden to invoke emergency powers under the Defense Production Act to speed production of formula and use government planes to import ingredients and formula. At the same time, the deaths of infants suspected to be tied to contaminated formula earlier this year has also fueled concerns over the quality of products.