Infant formula

Infant formula, also called baby formula, simply formula (American English), formula milk, baby milk, or infant milk (British English), is a manufactured food designed and marketed for feeding babies and infants under 12 months of age, usually prepared for bottle-feeding or cup-feeding from powder (mixed with water) or liquid (with or without additional water). The U.S. Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) defines infant formula as "a food which purports to be or is represented for special dietary use solely as a food for infants because it simulates human milk or its suitability as a complete or partial substitute for human milk".

The use of infant formula has been found to be associated with lower cognitive development and numerous increased health risks such as type 1 and 2 diabetes, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), eczema, and more when compared to infants who are breastfed.

A 2001 World Health Organization (WHO) report found that infant formula prepared per applicable Codex Alimentarius standards was a safe complementary food and a suitable breast milk substitute. In 2003, the WHO and UNICEF published their Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding, which restated that "processed-food products for ... young children should, when sold or otherwise distributed, meet applicable standards recommended by the Codex Alimentarius Commission", and also warned that "lack of breastfeeding—and especially lack of exclusive breastfeeding during the first half-year of life—are important risk factors for infant and childhood morbidity and mortality".

Some studies have shown that use of formula can vary according to the parents' socio-economic status, ethnicity or other characteristics.