Baby Formula

Infant formula is an industrially produced milk product designed for infant consumption. Usually based on either cow or soy milk, infant formula strives to duplicate the nutrient content of natural human breast milk. Infant formula is necessarily an imperfect, but very close, approximation since: more...

• The exact chemical properties of breast milk are still unknown.
• A mother's breast milk changes in response to the feeding habits of her baby and over time, thus adjusting to the infant's individual growth and development.
• Breast milk includes a mother's immunoglobulins, specifically IgA, that help the baby fight infections. These antibodies help the baby's immature immune system by helping the baby recognize illness to which the mother has been exposed, but which the baby has not.

Its use, particularly in the developing world, is somewhat contentious.

Besides breast milk, infant formula is the only other infant milk which the medical community considers nutritionally acceptable for infants under the age of one year. Cow's milk is not recommended because of its high protein and electrolyte (salt) content which may put a strain on an infant's immature kidneys. Evaporated milk, although perhaps easier to digest due to the processing of the protein, is still nutritionally inadequate.

Nutrient content

Most of the world's supply of infant formula is produced in the United States. The nutrient content is regulated by the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) based on recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition. The following must be included in all formulas produced in the U.S.:

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