Q: I’m considering switching to store-brand infant formula to save money. Is it as good and safe as national brands?

A: It has to be. According to the Food and Drug Administration, all formula marketed in the U.S. must meet the same nutrient specifications, which are set at levels to fulfill the needs of infants. Although infant-formula manufacturers may have their own proprietary formulations, brand-name and store-brand formula must contain at least the minimum levels of all nutrients specified in FDA regu¬lations, without exceeding maximum levels, where those are specified.

Formula specifications for store- and national-brand infant formula now also include the new safety threshold for melamine, which the FDA established as 1 part per million (ppm) on November 28, 2008. Melamine was responsible for making thousands of Chinese babies sick, and even the death of several infants, after consuming Chinese infant formula made with contaminated milk.

Melamine has a number of industrial uses and is a common ingredient in some plastic products, but it isn’t approved as an ingredient in human food in the U.S. According to the FDA, levels of melamine at or below 1 ppm in U.S.-made formula, is safe and poses no health risks to infants. For more information, see the FDA's page on melamine in Chinese formula and their melamine contamination Q&A page.

See our report on baby forumla--including our storage guidelines for breast milk and formula--for related information.