Does your baby formula contain BPA?
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Last week, attorney generals from the states of Connecticut, New Jersey and Delaware wrote letters to 11 manufacturers asking them to eliminate bisphenol A (BPA) from milk formula packaging as well from baby bottles. This is to avoid BPA getting into our babies’ diet. So far, I haven’t heard anything about the manufacturers’ response. For a recap of the health issues of BPA, check previous posts.
As earlier as October and November last year, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) already looked into this issue. EWG tested several well-known formula brands and detected BPA in almost all of them. EWG also surveyed leading manufacturers of milk formulas, including Nestl?, Similac and PBM, about their packaging. Most of the manufacturers admitted that BPA is present in their packaging. A few denied it but provided no documentation to support their claims. Powdered formula sold by Similac are probably reduced-risk choices, according to EWG, because only the metal tops but not the cardboard sides are lined with BPA-based plastic.
Here are some recommendations by EWG:
- If you don’t know whether your formula is packaged with BPA, ask the manufacturer and demand a straight answer.
- Go for powdered formulas instead of liquid formulas. EWG estimates that babies drinking reconstituted powdered formula are exposed to 8 to 20 times less BPA than those who drink liquid formula in metal cans.
- If you have to have liquid formula, then go for those sold in plastic containers or purchase concentrated and the not ready-to-eat brands. Dilution with water of concentrated formula reduces the amount of BPA in the baby’s diet.
- If possible, breastfeed your baby. Breast milk is still the safest diet for small babies.
For more details, check out EWG’s Guide to Infant Formula and Baby Bottles.
One Response to “Does your baby formula contain BPA?”
Trackbacks
Comment on this blog...