Q&A: Store-brand infant formula

Q: I’m considering switching to store-brand infant formula to save money. Is it as good and safe as national brands?

A: It has to be. According to the Food and Drug Administration, all formula marketed in the U.S. must meet the same nutrient specifications, which are set at levels to fulfill the needs of infants. Although infant-formula manufacturers may have their own proprietary formulations, brand-name and store-brand formula must contain at least the minimum levels of all nutrients specified in FDA regu¬lations, without exceeding maximum levels, where those are specified.

Formula specifications for store- and national-brand infant formula now also include the new safety threshold for melamine, which the FDA established as 1 part per million (ppm) on November 28, 2008. Melamine was responsible for making thousands of Chinese babies sick, and even the death of several infants, after consuming Chinese infant formula made with contaminated milk.

Melamine has a number of industrial uses and is a common ingredient in some plastic products, but it isn’t approved as an ingredient in human food in the U.S. According to the FDA, levels of melamine at or below 1 ppm in U.S.-made formula, is safe and poses no health risks to infants. For more information, see the FDA's page on melamine in Chinese formula and their melamine contamination Q&A page.

See our report on baby forumla--including our storage guidelines for breast milk and formula--for related information.

Comments

[Monica Brady]

I used the Parent's Choice brand of formula for my twin girls. We used what the hospital had sent home with us, and then just thought.. How are we going to afford two of these cans every couple of days. We literally sat in the aisle at Walmart comparing the labels between the Parent's Choice and the name brands. After much research and deliberation, we decided it would be a great idea to switch. The FDA regulations make it so much easier for parents to feel more comfortable about saving money. Not sure if you knew about the savings calculator at Parent's Choice, but it shows consumers how much money they can save by switching!
http://www.parentschoiceformula.com/baby-formula-savings-calculator.aspx

[tanisha]

What response has there been to changing the standards to ZERO! This should simply NOT be in children's food! It is unconscionable and simply unacceptable.