We tested 49 different formulas, and the U.S. market is almost completely dominated by just a handful of formula manufacturers. About half of the infant formula purchased in the United States is purchased through the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and almost all of it is manufactured by just two companies: Abbott and Mead Johnson. Abbott makes Similac and Elecare, and Mead Johnson makes Enfamil and Puramino.
A third company, Perrigo, is responsible for manufacturing many familiar store brands, including Kirkland Signature (Costco), Member’s Mark (Sam’s Club), Parents’ Choice (Walmart), and Up & Up (Target). It also includes Dr. Brown’s, which we tested last time, and Earth’s Best, which we included in this round of testing.
According to 2022 estimates, the formulas made by Abbott, Mead Johnson, and Perrigo together account for 79 percent of the U.S. market.
CR sent questions to all companies about the types of contaminants they test their raw materials and products for, their acceptable contaminant thresholds, and possible sources of contaminants found in their tests. We also reached out to companies that make contaminant-free formulas to learn what they’re doing to achieve these positive results.
Abbott Nutrition, the maker of Similac and EleCare, and Mead Johnson, the maker of Enfamil, both submitted detailed responses to CR’s test results and questions. These companies dominate the infant milk market and have products in every category in our charts. CR’s testing found levels of contaminants of concern in some formulations, but not in others.
Both of these companies disputed the CR findings. They argued that trace amounts of heavy metals occur naturally in the environment and throughout the food supply, and that this is not a problem unique to infant formula.
“Abbott infant formula is safe and parents can feel confident using it,” an Abbott spokesperson wrote. “Abbott infant formula, including that currently sold in the United States, meets existing regulations for heavy metals set by the European Commission and Health Canada. These European Commission limits are the most stringent limits for heavy metals in infant formula ever adopted by any country in the world. They also meet FDA’s current limits for heavy metals in baby food (other than formula), children’s juices, and drinking water. Consumer Test results shared with Abbott by Reports also support the same.” Abbott also took issue with CR’s use of California’s special protection limits to assess risk.
A Mead Johnson spokesperson said, “We employ rigorous testing protocols and are proud of our efforts to reduce the levels of unintended substances in our products, which meet all safety and quality standards set by U.S. and global regulatory agencies.” They added, “We test our ingredients before manufacturing our products,” and “have rigorous testing protocols for all finished products. Only products that meet our stringent safety standards are brought to market.” Mead-Johnson also stressed that heavy metals are never intentionally added to products.
Perrigo, which makes Dr. Brown’s and Earth’s Best formulas, is participating in the testing along with many popular store brands, including Mama Bear (Amazon), Parents’ Choice (Walmart) and Up & Up (Target), and said it risks assesses and tests all raw materials for contaminants of concern, and checks all finished products for 25 to 30 contaminants.
Danone is the parent company of Happy Baby Organics and Nutricia (which makes Neocate, Peticate, and Fortini). Happy Baby Organics, which performed well in these tests, told CR: “Every batch of our products undergoes over 1,850 rigorous quality and safety tests, including testing for heavy metals.” Nutricia infant formula had more mixed results in our tests, but states, “Nutricia infant formula batches undergo over 1,000 quality tests, including tests for heavy metals, to ensure high quality and product safety before they reach your home.” Both Happy Baby Organics and Nutricia also added that they are screening their formulations for Clostridium botulinum, the bacterium that causes infant botulism.
In our testing, Kendal Nutricare, which makes ready-to-feed Kenda Meal milk-based formula and powdered goat milk formula, said it “takes extensive steps to control and reduce” environmental contaminants in its products. “In the case of our goat recipe, inorganic arsenic levels were well below most conservative safe limits and within the range that would be reasonably expected for a cow’s milk-based formula,” a Kendall Nutricare spokesperson wrote.
Nannycare, which produces goat milk in New Zealand for the UK market, said: “The trace levels of certain contaminants reported in your tests are consistent with those commonly observed at very low background levels in agricultural and dairy-based foods, and trace levels are widely recognized by regulators as unavoidable.”
Australian manufacturer Sprout Organic told CR: “Based on the data provided, the results indicate the presence of low levels of certain elements known to occur naturally in plant-based ingredients,” and that “the levels detected are within internationally recognized health-based benchmarks.”
All Bobby Formulas unannounced during both rounds of testing had either no or low levels of undetected contaminants and were in the first-choice category. In a statement to us, Bobby executives wrote, “We have strict standards for contaminants across the board, and all feedstocks we bring into the process have strict requirements for heavy metals, microorganisms, and other contaminants.”
A representative from Jovie, which produces European goat milk that performed well in our tests, said: “Our infant milk complies with strict EU requirements and is subject to rigorous testing at every stage, from incoming raw and (packaging) materials to the final product.”
“All findings referenced by Consumer Reports are within established regulatory limits and our infant formula continues to meet our rigorous safety and quality standards for infant nutrition,” a Nestlé representative said in a statement.They also wanted to clarify that the recent global Nestlé recall does not affect infant formula produced for the United States.
Our testing detected acrylamide, BPA, or both in three powder formulations. Mead Johnson, which makes Enfamil Nutramigen, disputes CR’s test results for these contaminants, saying its own tests have never detected either contaminant in its products. Sprout Organic said that “acrylamide can form in small amounts during the heat processing process common to many dry food products,” and that the BPA levels identified in testing were “extremely low…well below levels considered to pose a health risk.” NannyCare did not specifically comment on the BPA test results for CR’s formula.
HiPP, Holle and The Pure Goat Company did not respond to CR’s requests for comment.
