infant feeding

In a joint statement released on December 30, 2011, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC) said tests of factory-sealed containers of the formula, made by Mead Johnson Nutrition Co., showed no traces of the bacteria Cronobacter. Federal health investigators cleared the infant formula of suspected bacterial contamination that last week prompted retailers to pull a batch of the product from their shelves.

The infant formula industry’s products are manufactured with strict adherence to Good Manufacturing Practices using high quality ingredients. All infant formula products, including liquid and powdered formulas, are extensively tested before release to assure that they meet the nutritional needs of infants and to assure the safety of the product, including microbiological quality with respect to Cronobacter spp. (formerly Enterobacter sakazakii).

The infant formula industry takes all potential safety concerns very seriously, and we support science-based efforts to produce infant formula products of the highest possible quality.  When new information becomes available on substances like BPA, we support bringing that information forward through the accepted process of scientific peer review and evaluation. 

A new study from by Lisa Wirihana and Alan Barnard titled, “Women’s perceptions of their healthcare experience when they choose not to breastfeed,” was recently published in Women and Birth. This research study explored the healthcare experiences of seven women who chose not breastfeed.  These women were interviewed about their healthcare experience regarding infant feeding approximately four months after giving birth.  Researchers found five unmet needs in these women: equity, self-sufficiency, support, education, and the need not to feel pressured.&n

The International Formula Council (IFC)* is responding to the study in Pediatrics, “Trends in US Hospital Distribution of Industry-Sponsored Infant Formula Sample Packs” by Sadacharan et al.

International Formula Council* (IFC) supports breastfeeding as the ideal choice for infant feeding. IFC also supports the right of parents to choose the feeding option for their baby that best fits their individual family situation.  For those mothers who cannot or choose not to breastfeed, infant formula is the only safe, nutritious, and recommended alternative.

Infant formula manufacturers take their responsibility to provide safe and nutritious infant formula to millions of infants every day very seriously. Infant formula is the most highly regulated food in the world and continues to be the only safe, nutritious and recommended alternative to breast milk. Because it is often a sole-source food product for newborn babies, its nutrient content is critical to support a baby’s proper growth and development.