Baby formula. Photo: National Institute of Korean Language via Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – An Israeli-based company hopes to fill the void as the baby formula shortage in the United States continues with parents continuing to find store shelves bare, particularly for those seeking specialty formulas.

Three weeks ago, the US Food and Drug Administration issued emergency guidance enabling the import of infant formulas produced abroad. Tel Aviv-based MyOr — an Israeli health-tech company — is among companies seeking FDA approval as its Mexican subsidiary, AlphaCare, produces and markets MyOr formulas from a plant in north central Mexico.

“We have 200,000 cans of formula ready to be shipped right now, with a capacity to produce another 250,000 a month,” said MyOr Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer Michael Brandwein. Once it receives FDA approval, he said, the company will be able to ship formula to homes and distributors in a matter of days, as many back-end arrangements have already been made.

Among the formula products AlphaCare makes are specialty ones in very short supply.

“These are for premature babies and for infants dealing with food allergies and sensitivities,” said Brandwein. “They are produced by fewer companies and in smaller batches.”