AP: As federal health officials vow to overhaul the U.S. food supply, they’re taking a new look at infant formula.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has directed the Food and Drug Administration to review the nutrients and other ingredients in infant formula, which fills the bottles of millions of American babies. The effort, dubbed “Operation Stork Speed,” is the first deep look at the ingredients since 1998.
“The FDA will use all resources and authorities at its disposal to make sure infant formula products are safe and wholesome for the families and children who rely on them,” Kennedy said.
About three-quarters of U.S. infants consume formula during the first six months of life, with about 40% receiving it as their only source of nutrition, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Formula has been widely used in the U.S. for roughly six decades, feeding generations of infants who have flourished, said Dr. Steven Abrams, a University of Texas infant nutrition expert.
The broader scientific community has been calling for a reevaluation of infant formula for years and is “fully supportive of this idea of a comprehensive look,” he said.
Current formula products in the U.S. continue to be safe and nourishing, he said.
“But there’s been a lot of science and we want the FDA rules to align with the most recent science from around the world,” he said.
FDA regulations require that infant formulas contain 30 specific nutrients, with minimum levels for all and maximum levels for 10 of them.
Kennedy announced the review of infant formula in March as part of his “Make America Healthy Again” agenda for the U.S. food supply.
The FDA’s review will include increased testing for heavy metals and other contaminants as well as a review of nutrients, the agencies said.
U.S. health officials will hold a two-hour roundtable discussion of infant formula on Wednesday.
Scientists say a review is long overdue regarding the most recent data on the composition of human milk and how babies digest and absorb nutrients in breastmilk and formula.
In addition, they want the FDA to consider how U.S. formulas compare with those made elsewhere, said Bridget Young, who studies infant nutrition at the University of Rochester.
