The Food and Drug Administration and the United States Department of Health and Human Services said on Tuesday that they would increase their testing for heavy metals in baby formula and examine the nutrients necessary in the products that feed millions of newborns.
“The FDA will use all resources and authorities at its disposal to ensure that infant formula products are safe and nutritious for the families and children who rely on them,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a statement.
According to a social media post from HHS, Kennedy previously met with the CEOs of firms such as Abbott Laboratories, which makes Similac, and Reckitt Benckiser, which makes Enfamil.
According to HHS, the FDA will conduct a thorough investigation of the nutrients used in baby formula, as well as expand testing for heavy metals and other pollutants.
“The FDA is deeply committed to ensuring that moms and other caregivers of infants and young children and other individuals who rely on infant formula for their nutritional needs have confidence that these products are safe, consistently available, and contain the nutrients essential to promote health and wellbeing during critical stages of development and life,” the acting FDA commissioner, Sara Brenner, said in a statement.
Worrying test results
Consumer Reports announced the finding on Tuesday, after testing that discovered potentially dangerous chemicals in approximately half of 41 baby formula types, including acrylamide, arsenic, BPA, lead, and PFAS. The remaining goods were determined to contain minimal or no amounts of potentially harmful substances.
“We look forward to seeing the details of how they intend to implement the plan, and we hope the FDA is providing adequate resources and staffing to actually follow through with these promises,” said Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Consumer Reports.
Families throughout the United States faced significant shortages of baby formula in 2022 after FDA inspections discovered germs connected to two child fatalities at Abbott’s factory in Sturgis, Michigan. The factory’s short shutdown restricted supplies, creating problems for the millions of parents who depend on formula.
In the United States, about one in every five babies begins on formula, which provides an important source of nourishment throughout an infant’s first few months of life.