PediatricDigest: Latest from Food Politics: What's happening with infant formula?

By Marion Nestle

March 31 2026

What’s happening with infant formula?

I can hardly believe that infant formula, one of the most tightly regulated products on the market, is in the news, but it sure is. Let’s start with RFK Jr.

Amazing. I thought infant formula companies were already doing that. Without question, millions of Americans were raised on the existing infant formulas and have done pretty well on them.

RFK Jr does not like high fructose corn syrup (most formulas don’t use this) or seed oils. I will be interested to see what his FDA proposes as replacements.

But now we have a new formula company, Little Spoon, putting full-page ads in the New York Times. “Parents,” it says, “deserve to trust the food that fules their family.” It says it uses better ingredients and tests for banned chemicals.

And why is this a step forward? Alas, we have the ByHeart example—a “better-for-you” formula unfortunately—and tragically—contaminated with toxic bacteria.

What’s especially troubling about the ByHeart tragedy is that its products are still on shelves.

Food safety lawyer Bill Marler has plenty to say about this: To Safer Infant Formulas and doing away with Botulism, Cronobacter sakazakii, Salmonella and Bacillus cereus

And then there are Consumer Reports’ investigations of heavy metals in formulas, lead and arsenic, among them.

No wonder parents are concerned. No wonder there is now a market for better tested formula.

What should parents do while all this is going on?

To avoid pathogens, buy canned and bottled formula that has been Pasteurized.

To avoid toxic metals? That’s harder to do since most formulas are not tested.

All of this is yet another reason to breastfeed, if at all possible. And to wean babies off of formula as soon as they are ready.

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