RFK Jr. turns his food focus to infant formula
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The Trump administration is launching a review of the nutrient makeup of infant formula, in the first such federal inquiry in more than a quarter century.
Why it matters: It marks the latest examination of U.S. food supply under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., but carries especially high stakes, targeting a product that's complicated to manufacture and has a notoriously fragile supply chain.
The big picture: On Tuesday, the agency released a request for information about infant formula nutrients.
- Operation Stork Speed aims to not only evaluate nutrients in formula but increase testing for heavy metals and other foreign substances in the supply chain, as well as improve label clarity. It is not clear who will be conducting the review. Officials said the Food and Drug Administration will convene an expert panel in June.
- Nutrition experts say a reevaluation of standards for formula makers in the U.S is long overdue. But they also cautioned about the risks of evidence-based science getting overshadowed by trendier rhetoric around dubious claims.
- "The review has to be done carefully. It has to be done with the best scientific evidence," baby formula expert Steven Abrams of the University of Texas at Austin told Axios.
Between the lines: Experts say the most critical targets for nutrient review include iron levels, carbohydrate content and requirements for bioactive ingredients like the omega-3 fatty acid DHA and the carbohydrates known as human milk oligosaccharides.
- But the review could also veer into key flashpoints such as seed oils, decried by many wellness influencers.
- For example, the use of corn syrup or corn syrup solids in infant formula instead of lactose, which is closest to the content of breast milk, as the main source of carbohydrates has become a subject of online controversy.
- While experts say the evidence supports higher lactose content, it's also necessary to keep non-lactose alternatives available for babies with sensitivities.
What they're saying: "I would hope that a review is comprehensive enough that it isn't sweeping statements like 'no more corn syrup,' but it actually goes into the depth of what percent can be used for what particular tolerance in what particular formulas," said Laura Modi, founder of organic infant formula brand Bobbie.
- "Abbott has led innovation in the industry to make infant formula closer to breast milk for a century and we welcome opportunities to contribute our expertise to make sure U.S. infant formula continues to be nutritionally world-class and that we have a robust, resilient supply," the company said in a statement.
Zoom in: The review likely originated with the infant formula crisis in 2022, said Bridget Young, an infant nutrition expert at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.
- The U.S. relies on four suppliers for roughly 90% of its infant formula including Abbott Nutrition, Mead Johnson Nutrition, Nestle USA, and Perrigo Company.
- Supply chain issues exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic combined with a recall by Abbott sparked a massive shortage in 2022.
- A National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine review of contributing factors identified a lack of "international harmonization," said Young, who is also author of the website Baby Formula Expert.
- Differences in regulations with Europe prevented the importation of products from there to alleviate depleted U.S. supplies over issues like iron content, Young said.
- "We have this huge disconnect with how much iron is the right amount of iron to have in formula, and that makes cross importation really challenging in an emergency situation," she said.
Baby formula experts caution that reviewers must ensure that any ingredients in the market aren't portrayed as "bad" and that they don't shame or scare parents over the ingredients in the formulas they rely on.
- It's possible that "there's an ingredient that can be seen as 'not bad', and the same can be true, that there could also be better options," Modi said.
- Any regulations also have to take into account the costs associated to ensure access, experts say.
Yes, but: This examination comes amid other HHS efforts to reduce regulation, and as key areas of the food safety workforce including infant formula researchers have been let go under Kennedy's restructuring of health agencies.
- It also comes at a time of planned budget cuts for WIC, through which roughly half of all infant formula is purchased in the U.S.
The bottom line: A long-overdue review of infant formula standards will need to carefully balance scientific evidence, affordability, and parental trust as regulators rethink the rules for one of the most sensitive — and essential — products in the U.S. food supply.
