FDA Issues Health Warning on Infant Formula from China

Federal health officials are reminding consumers that infant formula manufactured in China is illegal in the U.S. and should be avoided, as contaminated milk powder has been linked to at least two infant deaths and over 1,200 illnesses in China.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Health Information Advisory on Friday, "advising caregivers not to feed infant formula manufactured in China to infants" and assuring consumers that "there is no known threat of contamination in infant formula manufactured by companies that have met the requirements to sell infant formula in the United States." According to the FDA, manufacturers who have met federal health requirements for marketing milk-based infant formulas in the U.S. are: Abbott Nutritionals, Mead Johnson Nutritionals, Nestle USA, PBM Nutritionals, and Solus Products LLC.

In China, contaminated milk powder has been linked to 1,253 cases of infant illness, including at least two deaths and 340 hospitalizations, the New York Times reports. Early investigation has revealed that the powder formula was tainted with melamine, a chemical used in the manufacturing of plastics.

• FDA Health Information Advisory on Infant Formula
• N.Y. Times: 2d Child Dies in Widening Chinese Baby Formula Scandal
• Reuters: Avoid Chinese-Made Baby Formula, FDA Says
• Reuters: Probe Finds 20 Percent of China Milk Companies in Scandal
• Defective and Dangerous Products (FindLaw)
• Food Poisoning and the Law (FindLaw)