After a Consumer Reports investigation of baby formula and the announcement of a U.S. government initiative to strengthen oversight of the industry, one expert is preaching caution about overreacting to the news.
What's happening?
Nutrition scientist, dietitian, and mother Jessica Knurick wrote on Substack that news and social media channels misinterpreted the information and unnecessarily raised alarm.
"New parents deserve accurate information," she said. "Not fear-based, sensationalized content designed to perform well on social media while leaving parents, already in a vulnerable life stage, terrified."
The Consumer Reports study showed that all 41 formulas tested for heavy metals, forever chemicals, BPA, and other toxic chemicals were safe. Only one, Enfamil Nutramigen, tested positive for BPA and acrylamide, as Knurick noted. Most of the formulas had low or no detectable levels of contaminants, and they all met European Union standards for contaminants, which are considered a benchmark.
The same-day release of details about Operation Stork Speed, a Health and Human Services and Food and Drug Administration project to review formulas for the first time since 1998, added to the worry. However, it should only ensure or improve industry guidelines, including by increasing testing.
Why is this important?
Infants need proper nutrients to develop, so safe formula is perhaps the most important product available on store shelves. Without protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals, babies would not grow sufficiently, their brains wouldn't blossom, and they would not be healthy.
But lead and arsenic, among other contaminants, are all but impossible to fully remove from foods because they come from natural sources such as soil and groundwater, as Knurick explained. She also noted that the heavy metals are consistently found in breast milk.
Most of the formulas tested did not even reach half of the minimum levels allowed by the EU, and the FDA has already been working to cut out contaminants as much as possible through its Closer to Zero campaign.
"Given how often the EU is cited as the 'gold standard' for food safety, it's actually surprising and encouraging that every U.S. formula tested met or exceeded those standards," Knurick wrote.
What's being done about contaminants in baby formula?
It's important to note that none of the tested formulas were toxic or unsafe. And Knurick debunked other claims about the presence of seed oils and glucose in formulas, noting that they are necessary and not problematic.
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Majorly 😥 She also addressed how to decrease environmental pollutants, noting that lead and arsenic occur naturally but are prevalent because of human activities such as mining, pesticide use and industrialization. So, to further reduce their presence in formula and other foods, we must prevent pollution from coal plants, the oil and gas industry, and other sources.
Regulation — especially in the face of the Trump administration's deregulation drive, which has lowered standards that will surely result in more heavy metal pollution — is the path forward, Knurick said.
Call your local representative to voice your support for environmentally friendly policies, turn to brands that protect the planet, and keep your family safe by making sustainable choices.
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