United States: In the latest finding, it is revealed that toddler milk products have become a multibillion-dollar international business. This has happened despite several warnings from health authorities, who have said that the so-called benefits of the milk formula are unproven.
More about the products
The marketing of products is done so by claiming that they work to improve brain development or immune function. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued a warning in October 2023 in its report saying that toddler formula is “unnecessary and potentially harmful to young children.”
Moreover, Dr. Jenelle Ferry, a neonatologist and director of feeding, nutrition, and infant development at Pediatrix Medical Group in Tampa, Florida, said, “For healthy toddlers without a specific medical diagnosis, there is no evidence of a need [for] or benefit from toddler milk,” as Fox News reported.
What more did the report say?
As per the reports, despite several warnings, the sale of toddler milk has grown to USD 20 billion across the globe.
Fran Fleming-Milici, PhD, director of marketing initiatives at the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health at the University of Connecticut, said, “It is disappointing that regulations have not been strengthened, given package claims and marketing messages that imply toddler milk is beneficial, or even necessary, for a toddler’s healthy growth.”
What are the government agencies saying?
According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the majority of infants in the US get some or all of the nutrients for their bodies from the formula.
In a previous statement, AAP said that the standard infant formula can further be strengthened by appropriate solid foods at the age of 4 to 6 months, which helps ensure the intake of necessary nutrients like iron, calcium, and zinc.
The statement added further that the infant formula is regulated by The Infant Formula Act, which takes into account that the products must meet all the essential nutritional requirements, as it is considered the ultimate source of babies’ food for the first 12 months of their age, as the Fox News reported.
According to a previous search report from the NYU College of Global Public Health, these two varieties of toddler milk in the market- one is transition formulas for infants and toddlers aged 9 months to 24 months old, and the other one is for toddler milk for children 12 months to 36 months age.