BASF Lifts Force Majeure for Key Vitamin A & E Products

BASF has announced that it has lifted force majeure for Lutavit A 1000, Lutavit A 500, Vitamin A Palmitate 1.6 Mio I.U./g, Lutavit E 50, Lutavit E 50 S and Vitamin E Acetate 94% products for its animal nutrition business.

The lifting of force majeure for additional vitamin derivatives and for several affected carotenoids within the animal nutrition business will follow subsequently.

Following an incident beyond BASF’s control in the citral plant in Ludwigshafen on October 31, 2017, BASF was forced to declare force majeure for its citral and isoprenol-based aroma ingredients, its vitamin A and E products and several carotenoids.

Human nutrition: Lifting of force majeure for vitamin A and E expected in Q3

Due to a more demanding quality testing process relative to its animal nutrition business, BASF expects to lift force majeure for vitamin A and E products as well as carotenoids for its human nutrition business from mid of Q3 2018 onwards, in a step-wise approach.

Aroma ingredients: Lifting of force majeure for citral and isoprenol-based aroma ingredients expected in Q4

BASF expects to lift force majeure for the majority of its citral and isoprenol-based aroma ingredients in Q4 2018 due to different manufacturing steps needed in this production chain relative to its vitamin production. “As BASF is one of the main suppliers of aroma ingredients for customers in the flavour & fragrance industry, the company prioritizes making volumes of downstream products available, while building up stocks in parallel. Thus, conditions to lift force majeure, such as the building of safety stocks, will be fulfilled later in its aroma ingredients business than in its animal and human nutrition businesses. The lifting of force majeure for selected aroma ingredients campaign products will follow subsequently,” the company said in a press statement.

Customers will be informed directly by their respective sales contacts as soon as the timing for lifting force majeure for specific products is confirmed. Envisaged delivery dates will be communicated, always considering lead times, which are region, country and product-specific, taking from a few days to several weeks or months.