Oil shortage from Ukraine hinders US infant formula shortage

Attempts by the United States to eliminate the acute shortage of milk formulas for children ran into an insurmountable obstacle in the form of interruptions in the supply of one of the key ingredients – sunflower oil from Ukraine.

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The Americans import baby food from Europe on military transport planes and use wartime laws to increase domestic production of a product whose shortage is estimated at 40-50% of needs.

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“Many producers use sunflower oil as a source of fats, which are critical for blends. Ukraine was the number one exporter of sunflower oil … However, supplies have been reduced to a minimum,” experts say

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The United States and its allies demand that Russia unblock the Black Sea coast of Ukraine in the interests of resuming agricultural exports.

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Industry experts say finding alternative suppliers or changing the formulation will take a significant amount of time.

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In the context of reduced supplies, prices for sunflower oil rose in April to $2,276 per ton compared to $1,500 in February.

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A shortage of formula milk for infants has emerged in the United States after regulators shut down an Abbott production line, suspecting it was contaminated with disease-causing bacteria.