A year after the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a warning for “questionable marketing practices” by makers of infant formula for older children, Abbott Laboratories is facing a lawsuit over how it markets such products. There is.
Illinois-based healthcare products conglomerate Abbott is misleading parents and other caregivers about the nutritional value of sugary infant formula, the Public Health Advocacy Institute (PHAI) said on Tuesday. This was revealed in a lawsuit filed against the manufacturer of Similac powdered milk. .
Infant formula, marketed for consumption by children 12 to 36 months of age, is the next step for infants as they grow beyond infant formula approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It is depicted as. But unlike infant formula, infant milk products are not regulated by the FDA and are potentially harmful, according to PHAI, a nonprofit legal research center housed at Northeastern University School of Law.
According to PHAI’s lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, sales of infant formula nationwide average more than $500 million a year.
“Infant dairy products are not only unnecessary, but may actually be harmful to a child’s nutritional health,” said George Fuchs, a physician and professor of pediatric gastroenterology at the University of Kentucky School of Medicine. “There is,” he said. “Added sugars can increase infants’ preference for sweet foods, leading to obesity and other health risks throughout their lives,” said Fuchs, who led the AAP report on infant formula. did.
Abbott’s Similac’s Go & Grow Toddler Drink and Similac’s Pure Bliss Toddler Drink, which are labeled similarly to FDA-regulated infant formula and sold on the same store shelves, are labeled as Stage 3. It is labeled to suggest that it is the next nutritionally recommended product. After “Stage 1” infant milk and “Stage 2” transitional milk, the lawsuit alleges.
Dr. Jennifer Harris, Senior Research Advisor, said, “Common infant milk marketing practices, such as unsubstantiated nutritional claims and packaging that resembles infant formula, are limiting the nutritional benefits that infant formula provides to infants.” “This is misleading parents and other caregivers.” Marketing activities at the University Convention Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health.
Experts including the American Academy of Pediatrics Recommended for children over 12 months Give them water and regular milk.
Mr. Abbott did not immediately respond to a request for comment.