In a push to protect infants, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched a new initiative Tuesday to ensure baby formula is safe, nutritious, and free from harmful contaminants.
Titled ‘Operation Stork Speed,’ news of the new initiative followed a meeting between Heath and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and several chief executives from baby formula manufacturers.
The new, comprehensive review of baby formula in the U.S. follows a shortage in 2022 under former President Joe Biden, after a recall from a major manufacturer over bacterial contaminants and COVID-19 supply chain disruptions forced the military to fly in more formula from other countries. A Pro-Publica report last year also highlighted how, under the previous administration, the U.S. pushed more than half-a-dozen countries to loosen their baby formula regulations.
Operation Stork Speed will commence with several steps. One includes the initiation of a nutrient review, which will be the FDA’s first comprehensive update and review of infant formula nutrients since 1998. Another step includes ramping up testing for heavy metals and other contaminants in baby formula, while other steps revolve around addressing transparency and labeling concerns in the baby formula manufacturing industry.
‘The FDA is deeply committed to ensuring that moms and other caregivers of infants and young children and other individuals who rely on infant formula for their nutritional needs have confidence that these products are safe, consistently available, and contain the nutrients essential to promote health and well-being during critical stages of development and life,’ said acting FDA Commissioner Sara Brenner. ‘Whether breastfed, bottle-fed or both, the rising generation must be nourished in a way that promotes health and longevity over the course of their lives.’
Research from Consumer Reports released this week tested 41 types of baby formula for a number of toxic chemicals and found that roughly half of the samples they tested contained potentially harmful levels of contaminants.
Abbott Laboratories, which was responsible for the 2022 recall that contributed to a nationwide baby formula shortage, was among one of the companies whose products tested above average for heavy metals. However, the company took issue with the Consumer Report’s methodology, citing the fact that heavy metals exist in the environment and these substances ‘may be present in trace amounts in food products, including all brands of infant formula and even human breast milk.’
In a statement following news of the initiative, Scott Stoffel, a spokesperson for Abbott Laboratories, said the company was looking forward to supporting the efforts of Operation Stork Speed.
‘We look forward to working with the Secretary, the FDA, and the scientific and medical communities to continue to make infant formulas even closer to breast milk and support the aims of Operation Stork Speed,’ Stoffel said. ‘Each ingredient in our formulas is purposefully chosen for the type of baby we’re feeding and their unique dietary needs.’