Editing Infant formula (section)

{{Short description|Manufactured food designed for feeding infants}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2012}}
[[File:Infant formula.jpg|thumb|Infant formula|250x250px]]
[[File:Flaskmatning.jpeg|right|thumb|250px|An [[infant]] being fed from a [[baby bottle]]]]
'''Infant formula''', also called '''baby formula''', simply '''formula''' ([[American English]]), '''formula milk''', '''baby milk''', or '''infant milk''' ([[British English]]), is a [[processed food|manufactured food]] designed and [[marketing|marketed]] for feeding to babies and [[infants]] under 12 months of age, usually prepared for [[baby bottle|bottle]]-feeding or cup-feeding from powder (mixed with water) or liquid (with or without additional water). The U.S. [[Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act]] (FFDCA) defines infant formula as "a food which purports to be or is represented for special dietary use solely as a food for infants by reason of its simulation of [[human milk]] or its suitability as a complete or partial substitute for human milk".<ref>U.S. Food and Drug Administration. [https://web.archive.org/web/20131214094846/http://www.fda.gov/food/foodborneillnesscontaminants/peopleatrisk/ucm108079.htm#1 What is an infant formula.]</ref>

Manufacturers state that the composition of infant formula is designed to be roughly based on a human mother's milk at approximately one to three months postpartum; however, there are significant differences in the nutrient content of these products.<ref>Wells, J.C.K. [http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/ysiny/article/PIIS1084275696800170/abstract Nutritional considerations in infant formula design.] ''Seminars in Fetal & Neonatal Medicine'', 1(1): 19–26 (February 1996).</ref> The most commonly used infant formulas contain purified cow's milk [[whey]] and [[casein]] as a [[protein]] source, a blend of [[vegetable oil]]s as a fat source{{refn|group=note|As of 1915.<ref name="nap.edu#10935"/>}}, [[lactose]] as a [[carbohydrate]] source, a [[vitamin]]-mineral mix, and other ingredients depending on the manufacturer.<ref name="nap.edu#10935">{{Cite book|url=http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10935&page=41|title=3 Comparing Infant Formulas with Human Milk - Infant Formula: Evaluating the Safety of New Ingredients - The National Academies Press|website=nap.edu|access-date=April 3, 2018|doi=10.17226/10935|pmid=25009867|year=2004|isbn=978-0-309-09150-3 | author1 = Institute of Medicine | author2 = Food Nutrition Board| author3 = Committee on the Evaluation of the Addition of Ingredients New to Infant Formula }}</ref> Modern infant formulas also contain [[Human milk oligosaccharide|human milk oligosaccharides]], which are beneficial for immune development and a healthy gut microbiota in babies.{{Medical citation needed|date=February 2025}} In addition, there are [[Soy-based infant formula|infant formulas using soybean]] as a protein source in place of cow's milk (mostly in the United States and Great Britain) and formulas using protein hydrolysed into its component amino acids for infants who are allergic to other proteins. An upswing in [[breastfeeding]] in many countries has been accompanied by a deferment in the average age of introduction of [[baby food]]s (including cow's milk), resulting in both increased breastfeeding and increased use of infant formula between the ages of 3- and 12-months.<ref name="Fomon">{{cite conference | vauthors = Fomon SJ | title = Infant Feeding in the 20th Century: Formula and Beikost | publisher = Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Iowa | location = San Diego, CA | year=2001 | url = http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/full/131/2/409S#FN1 | access-date =September 16, 2006}}</ref><ref name="Ryan">{{cite journal | vauthors = Ryan AS | title = The resurgence of breastfeeding in the United States | journal = Pediatrics | volume = 99 | issue = 4 | pages = E12 | date = April 1997 | pmid = 9099787 | doi = 10.1542/peds.99.4.e12 | doi-access = free }}</ref>

A 2001 [[World Health Organization]] (WHO) report found that infant formula prepared in accordance with applicable [[Codex Alimentarius]] standards was a safe complementary food and a suitable breast [[milk substitute]]. In 2003, the WHO and UNICEF published their ''Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding'', which restated that "processed-food products for...young children should, when sold or otherwise distributed, meet applicable standards recommended by the Codex Alimentarius Commission", and also warned that "lack of breastfeeding—and especially lack of exclusive breastfeeding during the first half-year of life—are important risk factors for infant and childhood morbidity and mortality".

In particular, the use of infant formula in less economically developed countries is linked to poorer health outcomes because of the prevalence of unsanitary preparation conditions, including lack of clean water and lack of sanitizing equipment.<ref name="WHO">.World Health Organization. [http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2003/9241562218.pdf ''Global strategy for infant and young child feeding''.] Geneva, 2003. Retrieved August 8, 2011.</ref> A formula-fed child living in unclean conditions is between 6 and 25 times more likely to die of [[diarrhea]] and four times more likely to die of [[pneumonia]] than a breastfed child.<ref name=unicef>{{cite web | title = Infant and Young Child Feeding and Care| website = UNICEF | url = http://www.unicef.org/nutrition/index_breastfeeding.html| access-date =June 8, 2007 }}</ref> Rarely, use of powdered infant formula (PIF) has been associated with serious illness, and even death, due to infection with ''[[Cronobacter sakazakii]]'' and other microorganisms that can be introduced to PIF during its production. Although ''C. sakazakii'' can cause illness in all age groups, infants are believed to be at greatest risk of infection. Between 1958 and 2006, there have been several dozen reported cases of ''C. sakazakii'' infection worldwide. The WHO believes that such infections are under-reported.<ref>World Health Organization. [https://www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/micro/pif_guidelines.pdf ''Guidelines for the safe preparation, storage and handling of powdered infant formula''.] Geneva, 2007.</ref>
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