The Trump administration has concluded the nation’s supply of infant formula is safe, affirming medical consensus in the face of a growing Make America Healthy Again movement that has questioned how parents feed their babies.
The Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday its monthslong review found the “overwhelming majority” of formulas have undetectable or very low levels of contaminants. Researchers found higher levels of mercury in breast milk than in formula — although levels were still far below federal drinking-water standards.
“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,” Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a statement. “We will hold manufacturers accountable, and give parents honest, transparent data they can trust.”
The document released Wednesday doesn’t address seed oils or sugar in infant formulas — two ingredients frequently decried in the MAHA movement. Kyle Diamantas, the FDA deputy commissioner for food, said those ingredients are part of the agency’s ongoing nutrition review.
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Diamantas said breast milk is still the “gold standard” of infant nutrition but that the data on formula should be “reassuring” for families who depend on it.
Kennedy launched the investigation into formula last year, dubbing it “Operation Stork Speed” and promising his supporters a full review of U.S. infant formula they tend to be wary of.
Vani Hari, a Kennedy devotee known as the “food babe,” has urged moms to use European formulas, which she and other wellness influencers regard as cleaner and healthier than American brands.
The FDA tested more than 300 infant formula samples from 16 brands for heavy metals, pesticides and synthetic PFAS, compounds known as forever chemicals. They looked at both cow’s milk and alternative soy and amino acid-based options.
Levels of lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic were significantly lower than the Environmental Protection Agency’s drinking-water requirements. Ninety-nine percent of samples had no detectable pesticides. Researchers detected just five of 30 PFAS compounds they tested for.
They also found higher levels of mercury in breast milk than in formula — although still far below the limits set by the EPA for drinking water. The breast milk samples had less arsenic, cadmium and lead than the formula samples.
The FDA last reviewed infant formula ingredients and nutrition more than three decades ago. Kennedy previously said the current list of required nutrients for formula is “not based on good science.”
“The FDA is working with industry to continuously drive contaminant levels closer to zero and is conducting additional testing as part of the agency’s ongoing robust monitoring and oversight efforts,” the document says.
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary told Fox News last year that “moms want baby formula without seed oil, without corn syrup, without added sugar, without arsenic and lead and other heavy metals.”
Kennedy will host executives from leading infant formula companies next month for a roundtable discussion on formula oversight and ensuring its safety, according to HHS.
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