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When you search for homemade baby formula online, you quickly come across a number of highly rated recipes. For whatever reason, more and more parents are looking beyond the standard offer in the USA – creating their own or importing foreign formulas. Even the New York Times reported on the growing trend towards imported formulas from Europe1, but whether or not these formula options are a better choice is controversial – and worrying.
Steven Abrams, MD, a pediatrics professor at Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin, has written guidelines on imported and homemade formulations for the American Academy of Pediatrics, and says some parents are looking for unconventional formulas to help manage food allergies but there are bigger concerns.
First, when it comes to allergies, Abrams warns that “hypoallergenic” has different criteria according to European Union standards than those of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Therefore, parents may not get what they believe in allergy prevention. Nutritional standards can vary too, but Abrams says importing foreign formulas and the lack of regulation of those and homemade options is more worrying.
“The nutritional standard may be a little different, but that’s actually not the main concern,” he said. “It doesn’t just depend on what is in the formula, but also on the way in which it is imported.”
FDA-cleared imported formulations are subject to strict standards when it comes to how they are stored, transported and what shelf life is acceptable. While the formulas themselves can be nutritionally okay, Abrams said there are concerns about how formulas imported outside of FDA’s supervision are brought into the country.
“The FDA’s infant formula regulation is the strictest of all foods, and for good reason. When you get rid of this regulation, you face challenges, ”Abrams said. “If you allow formulas to be sold that do not meet US standards, where do you draw the line? In addition, these formulas have no particular advantage. “
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention3 and the FDA4 caution parents against purchasing imported formulas and agree with Abrams that there are no proven health benefits from imported options.
Some parents might be enticed by simply labeling and labeling imported infant formula or by claiming that it is more milk-based. However, Abrams says that some of these formulas are actually the same as brands made in the United States.
Homemade formulas are another cause for concern. Although homemade formulas made from cow’s milk and canned milk were quite common in the 1950s, there is now a trend towards making formulas made from other “dairy” products that are vegan or even hemp-based, he says.
“We are even more discouraging home-made infant formula,” he warned, citing an FDA case study of infants fed a home-made hemp-based infant formula who developed severe hypocalcemia and rickets.5
Cost isn’t usually the issue that drives parents when it comes to imported or homemade formulas, he explained. In fact, many parents who avail these options find themselves on the higher end of the income spectrum.
“They are generally higher income parents who don’t trust the government or believe what they read online. They don’t think the FDA is doing as well as it is in Europe. If the United States loses its power to regulate, you will have a mess on your hands, to say the least. “
Pediatricians need to be unbiased about what formulas parents use for their infants and educate them about safety concerns.
If the reason is financial – this is more likely to happen with homemade or diluted formulas – route them to organizations and programs that can help them allocate resources for formulas, he says.
For families who are suspicious of the government or have dietary concerns, it is important that pediatricians conduct training that focuses on the lack of supervision over the nutritional content, production, and storage of these products.
“If you allow anyone to market something as infant formula, you will be in trouble,” Abrams said.
References
1.Szalinski C. Why US Parents Choose European Baby Food. Published March 12, 2021. Accessed October 8, 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/us-parents-european-baby-formula/
2. Abrams S. Is Homemade Baby Food Safe? Updated March 5, 2021. Accessed October 8, 2021. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/formula-feeding/Pages/Is-Homemade-Baby-Formula-Safe.aspx
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Choosing an infant formula. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/infantandtoddlernutrition/formula-feeding/choosing-an-infant-formula.html
4. United States Food and Drug Administration. The FDA advises parents and caregivers not to make homemade infant formula or to feed it to infants. Published February 24, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
https://www.fda.gov/food/alerts-advisories-safety-information/fda-advises-parents-and-caregivers-not-make-or-feed-homemade-infant-formula-infants
5. Calello DP, Jefri M, Yu M, Zarraga J, Bergamo D, Hamilton R. Real-life Notes: Vitamin D Deficiency Rickets and Severe Hypocalcemia in Infants fed on homemade alkaline diet foods – Three States, August 2020– February 2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2021; 70: 1124–1125. doi: 10.15585 / mmwr.mm7033a4
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