Avoid Buying Baby Formula Made in China

While baby formula imported from China is illegal in our country, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned Americans on Thursday that some formula from China may have possibly slipped into markets serving Chinese consumers in the U.S. This draws big concerns after Chinese officials recently blamed tainted milk-based formula for an infant’s death and caused other babies in China to develop serious kidney problems as a result of drinking it.

Janice Oliver, deputy director of the FDA's food safety program, said in an interview, "We're concerned that there may be some infant formula that may have gotten into the United States illegally and may be on the ethnic market. No infant formula from China should be entering the United States, but in the past we have found it on at least one occasion." The agency advised parents not to purchase or use baby formula from China if they do happen to see it.

According to China's Ministry of Health, contaminants were found only in Sanlu-brand milk formula and the Sanlu Group recalled milk formula made prior to August 6^th, although reports claim several brands, in fact, were under suspicion. The contaminant found in the formula may actually be the same contaminant, called melamine, which was found in pet food ingredients from China last year that started the large pet food recall. The chemical melamine, used in plastics, caused the deaths and illnesses of hundreds of cats and dogs.

Oliver stated, "We want to assure the American public there is no threat of contamination to the domestic supply.” Although there have been no reports of illnesses in the U.S., officials still have concerns that some Chinese formula may be for sale at ethnic groceries, particularly in places that have a large Chinese immigrant population, such as New York, Boston, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

The FDA says all U.S. brands of baby formula are completely safe, after checking with the approved milk-based formula manufacturers to determine if they were receiving any of their ingredients from China. They found the manufactures were not. The only U.S.-approved makers of milk-based baby formula are: Abbott Nutritionals, Mead Johnson Nutritionals, Nestlé USA, PBM Nutritionals and Solus Products LLC. There’s also one manufacturer in Liverpool, England, SHS/Nutricia, who markets amino acid based exempt infant formula that does not contain any milk-derived ingredients.