WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced results from the largest and most rigorous examination ever conducted focused on chemical contaminants in infant formula available in the U.S. market.
'We tested more infant formula than ever before, and the results are clear: most products meet a high safety standard-but even small exposures matter for newborns,' said Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. 'We will hold manufacturers accountable, and give parents honest, transparent data they can trust. Protecting our children's health is nonnegotiable.'
Across the products tested, an overwhelming majority of samples had undetectable or very low levels of contaminants, affirming that the U.S. infant formula supply is safe, according to FDA. The FDA said it tested more than 300 infant formula samples representative of products sold at retail across the U.S. - generating more than 120,000 data points - for lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, pesticides, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, and phthalates. The samples, which included powders, ready-to-feed liquids, and concentrated liquids, were rigorously tested and analyzed in FDA laboratories.
While overall levels of contaminants in the infant formula samples tested were low, the FDA is following up with additional testing as part of the agency's ongoing robust monitoring and oversight efforts. The agency said it will continue to engage with manufacturers on measures to reduce the levels of contaminants to as low as possible, and working to establish action levels for contaminants in infant formula.
Small amounts of contaminants may be present in foods-including infant formula and breast milk-because they occur naturally or enter the environment through human activities in the areas where ingredients are grown or produced.
The FDA will continue to test infant formula as part of Operation Stork Speed and ongoing surveillance of foods, including testing infant formula products that have entered the U.S. market since this initial survey began and conducting additional compliance sampling. Consistent with FDA's commitment to transparency, the agency said it will share results from follow-up surveys.
Secretary Kennedy will host chief executives from leading infant formula companies in May for a roundtable discussion focused on modernizing FDA's infant formula oversight and continued implementation of Operation Stork Speed, which includes aspects of nutrition, chemical, and microbiological food safety.
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