Advertisement

Fact check: Enfamil formula safe for full-term babies, expert says

Ana Faguy, USA TODAY
·4 min read

The claim: Enfamil formula is harming babies

Early this year, infant formula recalls dominated headlines and sent many parents searching for reassurance that their baby's formula was safe.

Some turned to social media for answers, but those answers sometimes lacked important context.

A June 23 Facebook post asserting Enfamil formula is harmful to infants received more than 2,000 shares in two weeks.

"PARENTS !! Whatever You Do , Take Your Babies Off This Formula," reads the post, which features an image of Enfamil formula. "Its Harming Babies , Mothers Are Losin Their Kids To This Milk !! Please Find Another Milk Or Another Way To Feed Them !!! (sic)"

Commenters were quick to associate the Facebook post with two formula-related news stories. The first was the Abbott formula recall from earlier this year. The second was a recent multidistrict lawsuit against Enfamil and Similac relating to premature baby formula.

But Enfamil was not recalled in 2022, and experts say it's safe to use. The multidistrict lawsuit only addresses premature baby formula, which is generally used in neonatal intensive care units, an expert told USA TODAY.

Follow us on Facebook! Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the claim for comment.

Similac Alimentum Hypoallergenic Infant Formula, imported from Puerto Rico, is for sale at a Stew Leonard's grocery store in Yonkers, New York, on Friday, June 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey) ORG XMIT: RPTS106
Similac Alimentum Hypoallergenic Infant Formula, imported from Puerto Rico, is for sale at a Stew Leonard's grocery store in Yonkers, New York, on Friday, June 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey) ORG XMIT: RPTS106

Enfamil was not part of the Abbott recall

There is no evidence that Enfamil, as used for full-term babies and purchased in stores, causes harm to infants, according to Dr. Steven Abrams, former chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition and Pediatrics.

The recent Food and Drug Administration recall did not include Enfamil. Similac, Alimentum and EleCare were the three formulas subject to the recall.

In February, Abbott voluntarily recalled some powdered formulas produced at its Sturgis, Michigan, manufacturing facilities. The FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention subsequently investigated those reports of illnesses. 

Those formulas were recalled because some infants who consumed  them became ill with Cronobacter sakazakkii or Salmonella Newport, and two died.

Months later, in early June, the Abbott plant in Sturgis began producing formula again.

Lawsuits don't include all Enfamil formulas

While many commenters on the Facebook post remarked on the recall, others linked the post with the multidistrict litigation Enfamil is currently involved in.

But the multidistrict litigation is only related to premature baby formula, mostly used in NICU's, Abrams said.

"What's going on online is that (Facebook users) are confusing or conflating two different things," Abrams told USA TODAY in a phone interview.

Similac, owned by Abbott Laboratories, and Enfamil, owned by Mead Johnson & Co LLC and Mead Johnson Nutrition, are currently mired in multiple lawsuits surrounding their premature baby formula products. These lawsuits have been ongoing for a couple of years, Abrams said.

Some parents have claimed the companies did not adequately warn parents of the potential for those products to cause necrotizing enterocolitis in premature babies, Abrams said. That gastrointestinal problem causes intestinal tissue to die and predominately affects premature babies, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

While those products can be found in stores, they are mostly used in hospital NICUs, distinguishing them from the products recalled earlier this year which were given to full-term babies, Abrams said.

Fact check: No, the FDA did not find horse meat in Wendy's food

The litigation is ongoing as of July 14.

Our rating: Missing context

Based on our research, we rate MISSING CONTEXT the claim that Enfamil formula is harming babies. While Enfamil is part of multidistrict litigation, the lawsuits only pertain to premature baby formula, most frequently used in NICU's, an expert confirmed to USA TODAY. Enfamil is safe for full-term babies, the expert said.

Our fact-check sources:

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here.

Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Enfamil formula safe for full-term babies, expert says