History of Commercial Infant Formula

The history of infant formula development has been characterized by producing formulations that attempt to mimic the composition of human milk.

The infant formula industry began in the late nineteenth century as physicians, biologists and chemists worked to develop a substitute for breast milk for infants whose mothers had died.

Improper feeding was leading cause of infant mortality.

The first milk based commercial infant formula was developed by Nestlé in 1867. Early formula often included cereals and were marketed as foods, not liquid breast milk substitutes.

In the same year chemist, Justus von Lieberg, marketed to be the first formula a mixture of cow’s milk, potassium bicarbonate, and wheat and malt flour.

In 1915 a formula called “synthetic milk adapted” was developed with nonfat cow milk, lactose, oleo oils and vegetable oils. This was the basis for modern commercially prepared formula.

These propriety milk products competed alongside condensed and evaporated milks and custom made preparations around the end of the century.

In 1920s, infant formula began to gain in popularity and the percentage of mothers who breast-fed decline over the next few decades.

In 1928, Gerber developed and marketed speciality foods for babies such as strained vegetables, including peas, carrot and spinach and this successful innovations was emulated in the next decade by products developed by Heinz, Beech-Nut and Libby’s in North America.

Beech-Nut developed 13 varieties of strained baby foods and sold them in patented vacuum sealed clear glass jar, replacing lead soldered metal cans.

These early infants food were marketed by direct advertising to consumers and took the form of testimonials by pediatricians regarding the efficacy of the particular brand for infant nutrition.

The protein content of formulas was consideration from about 1935 onward. Early estimates of human milk protein levels were higher than is now known, and it was believed that cow milk protein was far inferior to human milk protein.

Over the next 20 years, the use of commercial baby foods increased in middle and upper income North America homes, where it was used not just to supplement but also to substitute for breast milk.

In 1984 taurine was added to infant formulas, based on at least a decade of studies that include composition, provisional essentiality, safety and function in mammals.

Nucleotides were added to formulas with both compositional and efficacy claims in the late 1990s.
History of Commercial Infant Formula