Choosing the right formula milk: Are some formula milk brands better than others?

[onthefly]

It's from the UK, but probably still quite relevant if you're wondering whether it's worth spending the extra on more expensive brands

Choosing the right formula milk
Are some formula milk brands better than others?
collage of baby brand names
When surveyed, 56% of mothers with children under three told Which? they wanted to know the differences between formula brands, 46% wanted to know how formula compares to breast milk and 27% wanted to know whether price reflects quality.1

The best infant formula
So, are some infant formula brands better than others? No, there is no real difference between the different formulas on the UK market.

The composition of all infant formula and follow-on formula in the UK is strictly controlled under the Infant Formula and Follow on Formula regulations. This means the core ingredients of all formulas are identical.

Claims such as ‘Closest to breast milk’, 'Gold advanced System' and 'Complete nutrition' are meaningless as the exact ingredients of breast milk are unknown and change according to a baby’s age and feeding patterns. However, it is estimated that breast milk contains around 300 ingredients compared with 75 in infant formula.

There is one organic range available on the market - HiPP Organic - however the pesticide residue level is set at very low levels even in non-organic formulas (residue levels must not exceed 0.01mg/kg of the reconstituted or ready for consumption product).

Added ingredients in infant formula
In addition to the core ingredients, all formulas contain extra ingredients, most of which are the same across all the brands. These include LCPs (long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids), nucleotides and prebiotics.

All formulas, apart from SMA, include an additional prebiotic ingredient (Oligosaccharides, which are often referred to as FOS/GOS). However, the efficacy of prebiotics has been questioned by EFSA and the adverse affects of looser stools and the potential risk of dehydration have been highlighted. EFSA concluded that there was no evidence of benefits of these ingredients to infants, while there were safety concerns.

Other than the addition of DHA, an LCP which the EFSA has accepted contributes to the normal visual development of infants up to 12 months, the other extra ingredients are not of proven benefit. If they were, then the formula milk compositional criteria would be amended to include it.

Cost of infant formula
The four major infant formula brands price their infant formula differently - £7.99-£9.49 per tin and £8.88-£10.55 per kg - which might make you think some are better than others. But, as we've seen, the ingredients of proven benefit are the same across the board.

Despite the price differential, we've worked out that over a year, following the manufacturers’ instructions, the annual cost is not that different. All the brands cost between £367.59 and £395.46 a year.

1. Online survey between November and December 2012 of 727 mothers with children under three years

Are some formula milk brands better than others? - Choosing the right formula milk - Nursery & feeding - Which? Baby & child

[nickle730]

All those tins of S26 I've bought over the years... wasted my money on the 'Gold'!!

[Lenny]

I love knowledge.

[onthefly]

Reminds me of a story I heard.
Someone told me a friend was planning an extended trip to the UK and wanted to find out what products were available over there so she could plan ahead and maybe switch beforehand so her baby would be used to it before they got there. She discovered, talking to the company, that they didn't have this product she was using - a premium one - in the UK as they weren't allowed to market it over there as they couldn't substantiate their claims about its efficacy. So she switched to the cheapest one.

[Beautiful Disaster]

My gp always told me not to worry about the 'gold' As it wasn't necessary

[Astrid]

I remember my MCHN with DD1 telling me about that they were all pretty much the same. The main thing I noticed was the scoop size, the cheaper brands had bigger scoops, so you are forced to make a larger qty. Not so much an issue with an older bub who drinks more, but wasteful for a little one where it was mainly for top ups.

[onthefly]

I think gold often denotes a higher iron content (is that right?), which is a concern if your child doesn't actually need extra iron.

[Beautiful Disaster]

I think gold often denotes a higher iron content (is that right?), which is a concern if your child doesn't actually need extra iron.

That's what my gp said

[Little Chicken]

I thought the gold implied things like extra omega fats etc.