The US Food and Drug Administration will intensify heavy metal testing in infant formulas and review the nutrients needed for the products used to feed millions of babies.
“The FDA will use all resources and authorities at our disposal to ensure that infant formula products are safe and healthy for the families and children who rely on them,” HHS’s Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a statement.
Kennedy previously met with the CEOs of companies, including Similac Maker Abbott Laboratories and Enfamil manufacturer Reckitt Benckiser. According to a social media post on HHS, Kennedy previously met with the CEOs of companies, including Reckitt Benckiser.
The FDA will comprehensively look at the nutrients used in infant formula and increase testing for heavy metals and other contaminants, HHS said.
“The FDA is deeply committed to ensuring that mothers and other caregivers of infants and young children and infants for nutritional needs, as well as other individuals who rely on formula for their infants, infants, and infant formula, are safe and consistently available and contain essential nutrients to promote health and well-being at critical stages of development and life.
Anxious test results
The development came as consumer reports shared the results of testing by a group that discovered potentially harmful chemicals in about half of acrylamide, arsenic, BPA, lead, lead, lead, lead, lead, and about half of infants. PFAS. The remaining products were found to have low levels or NO with regard to chemicals.
“We look forward to seeing more details on how they implement the plans and hope that the FDA provides the right resources and staffing to actually track these commitments,” Brian Ronholm, Food Policy Director for Consumer Report, said in a statement.
American families faced a massive shortage of dairy products in 2022 after FDA testing was found to be linked to two infant deaths. Abbott Plants in Sturgis, Michigan. The temporary closure of the factory has reduced supply and has caused problems for millions of parents who rely on the formula.
Approximately one in five newborns in the US start with the formula and provide important nutritional sources in the first few months of an infant’s life.
