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French food group to send baby formula to USA

French food group Danone said on Friday it would send an additional 500,000 packages of medical-grade baby formula to the United States, currently stricken by shortages, by the end of June.

French food group to send baby formula to USA
Photo by DENIS CHARLET / AFP)

A spokesman said the packages of the Neocate brand formula for babies with allergies to cow’s milk should be available to distribute to families at the beginning of July.

The spokesman said Danone had more than doubled shipments of Neocate to the United States in recent months, but declined to provide a figure.

Scarcity of medical-grade baby formula in the United States caused by production problems and supply-chain issues has created grave problems for thousands of parents whose infants rely on it, sending them in frantic searches for the product.

The United States has even used its military planes to help speed up exports from Europe.

Danone’s rival Nestle shipped 31 tonnes of baby formula to the United States on Sunday.

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BUSINESS

French hotels sue Airbnb for unfair trade practices

More than two dozen French hotels have launched a lawsuit against the short-term rental platform Airbnb for unfair trade practices and are seeking nearly $10 million in damages, their lawyer said on Thursday.

French hotels sue Airbnb for unfair trade practices

The case, brought by a range of independent hotels and members of large chains, alleges that the US-based platform does not collect or pay tourist taxes and fails to take down ads that don’t comply with regulations on renting out homes, said lawyer Jonathan Bellaiche.

“We know that many people rent out their apartments without authorisation,” he said.

Short-term vacation rental platforms have caused consternation in many cities for taking away business from hotels and reducing the number of apartments available for long-term rental to residents, prompting a number to introduce regulations.

Airbnb retorted that it adheres to all regulations and it had paid €187 million in tourist tax to cities last year.

READ MORE: How much is the ‘tourist tax’ in France?

“If this new legal action hinders the activity of Airbnb or the capacity of our French hosts to rent their property we will consider all options, including taking legal action, to protect our rights,” Airbnb said in a statement.

The case, filed in commercial court in the western town of Lisieux, is set to be heard on September 6th.

The French hotel trade association Umih also has a case underway against Airbnb.

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