Global InformationInfant formula information
Infant formula, also called baby formula, simply formula (American English), baby milk or infant milk (British English), is designed and marketed for feeding to babies and infants under 12 months of age, usually prepared for bottle-feeding or cup-feeding from powder (mixed with water) or liquid (with or without additional water). The U.S. Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) defines infant formula as "a food which purports to be or is represented for special dietary use solely as a food for infants by reason of its simulation of human milk or its suitability as a complete or partial substitute for human milk".[1]
Manufacturers state that the composition of infant formula is designed to be roughly based on a human mother's milk at approximately one to three months postpartum; however, there are significant differences in the nutrient content of these products.[2] The most commonly used infant formulas contain purified cow's milk whey and casein as a protein source, a blend of vegetable oils as a fat source[note 1], lactose as a carbohydrate source, a vitamin-mineral mix, and other ingredients depending on the manufacturer.[3] Modern infant formulas also contain human milk oligosaccharides, which are beneficial for immune development and a healthy gut microbiota in babies.[4] In addition, there are infant formulas using soybean as a protein source in place of cow's milk (mostly in the United States and Great Britain) and formulas using protein hydrolysed into its component amino acids for infants who are allergic to other proteins. An upswing in breastfeeding in many countries has been accompanied by a deferment in the average age of introduction of baby foods (including cow's milk), resulting in both increased breastfeeding and increased use of infant formula between the ages of 3- and 12-months.[5][6]
A 2001 World Health Organization (WHO) report found that infant formula prepared in accordance with applicable Codex Alimentarius standards was a safe complementary food and a suitable breast milk substitute. In 2003, the WHO and UNICEF published their Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding, which restated that "processed-food products for...young children should, when sold or otherwise distributed, meet applicable standards recommended by the Codex Alimentarius Commission", and also warned that "lack of breastfeeding—and especially lack of exclusive breastfeeding during the first half-year of life—are important risk factors for infant and childhood morbidity and mortality".
In particular, the use of infant formula in less economically developed countries is linked to poorer health outcomes because of the prevalence of unsanitary preparation conditions, including lack of clean water and lack of sanitizing equipment.[7] A formula-fed child living in unclean conditions is between 6 and 25 times more likely to die of diarrhea and four times more likely to die of pneumonia than a breastfed child.[8] Rarely, use of powdered infant formula (PIF) has been associated with serious illness, and even death, due to infection with Cronobacter sakazakii and other microorganisms that can be introduced to PIF during its production. Although C. sakazakii can cause illness in all age groups, infants are believed to be at greatest risk of infection. Between 1958 and 2006, there have been several dozen reported cases of C. sakazakii infection worldwide. The WHO believes that such infections are under-reported.[9]
- ^ U.S. Food and Drug Administration. What is an infant formula.
- ^ Wells, J.C.K. Nutritional considerations in infant formula design. Seminars in Fetal & Neonatal Medicine, 1(1): 19–26 (February 1996).
- ^ a b Institute of Medicine; Food Nutrition Board; Committee on the Evaluation of the Addition of Ingredients New to Infant Formula (2004). 3 Comparing Infant Formulas with Human Milk - Infant Formula: Evaluating the Safety of New Ingredients - The National Academies Press. doi:10.17226/10935. ISBN 978-0-309-09150-3. PMID 25009867. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
{{cite book}}:|website=ignored (help) - ^ Bosheva, Miroslava; Tokodi, Istvan; Krasnow, Aleksander; Pedersen, Helle Krogh; Lukjancenko, Oksana; Eklund, Aron C.; Grathwohl, Dominik; Sprenger, Norbert; Berger, Bernard; Cercamondi, Colin I.; 5 HMO Study Investigator Consortium (July 6, 2022). "Infant Formula With a Specific Blend of Five Human Milk Oligosaccharides Drives the Gut Microbiota Development and Improves Gut Maturation Markers: A Randomized Controlled Trial". Frontiers in Nutrition. 9: 920362. doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.920362. ISSN 2296-861X. PMC 9298649. PMID 35873420.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Fomon SJ (2001). Infant Feeding in the 20th Century: Formula and Beikost. San Diego, CA: Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Iowa. Retrieved September 16, 2006.
- ^ Ryan AS (April 1997). "The resurgence of breastfeeding in the United States". Pediatrics. 99 (4): E12. doi:10.1542/peds.99.4.e12. PMID 9099787.
- ^ .World Health Organization. Global strategy for infant and young child feeding. Geneva, 2003. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
- ^ "Infant and Young Child Feeding and Care". UNICEF. Retrieved June 8, 2007.
- ^ World Health Organization. Guidelines for the safe preparation, storage and handling of powdered infant formula. Geneva, 2007.
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