Infant Formula – Enfamil vs. PBM lawsuit

I have written about PBM formula before, but with the recent lawsuit I just can’t not bring it up again. I mean there are so many moms out there who choose name brand formulas because they think a store brand is not good enough for their child. I know when I first became a mom I did everything the baby books said and only used name brands for diapers and formula. I just thought since we can afford it, why not by the best. Well the best doesn’t necessarily mean name brand and I also had to think about our financial future.

Babies go through so much formula that it is ridiculous and I remember if my sons didn’t want to finish his bottle or it got spilled, I would think how much of a waste it was. Now as a side note I do want to say that I do support breastfeeding but realize it is not always an option and I did use both with my children. Well on December 2, 2009, PBM Products LLC who is a leading infant formula company that supplies store brand infant formulas to Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club, Target, Kroger, Walgreens, and other retailers, received a favorable verdict and $13.5 million damages award in its false advertising lawsuit against Mead Johnson & Co., the makers of the national-brand Enfamil LIPIL Infant formula.

Mead Johnson led false and misleading campaigns against PBM’s saying that they do not provide the same nutrition as Mead Johnson’s brands. The Enfamil claims actually said were “It may be tempting to try a less expensive store brand, but only Enfamil LIPIL is clinically proven to improve brain and eye development,” and “there are plenty of other ways to save on baby expenses without cutting back on nutrition.”

Now after reading those statements, if I was a new parent I know I would be scared of store-brands and not trust them, I mean what parent doesn’t want the best for their child! Enfamil also mailed out a direct mailing to more than 1.6 million parents of an alarming blurry picture of a child’s cartoon duck next to a clear picture of the same image, which suggested that anything other than the Enfamil LIPIL blend of ingredients is inferior, and will result in poor eye and brain development.

So now I am thinking okay my sons are going to be stupid and blind because I fed them Wal-Mart and Target brand formula. So because I tried to cut cost and spend money on other necessities, I have scarred my children for life. Now if only I would have kept them on the Enfamil LIPIL formula, they would have been 20/20 seeing geniuses. Yeah right!

PBM infant formulas are formulated to contain DHA and ARA, and are sourced from the same supplier amounts which equal or exceed the DHA and ARA in Enfamil LIPIL! The only major difference is PBM formulas cost 50% less! Yes so instead of $25 and up a can, they only cost about $13. PBM formulas are also examined by the FDA and have guidelines they have to adhere to as far as necessary level of identified nutrients required for the growth of healthy babies.

So basically whether you choose to buy store-brand, name-brand, or breastfeed, I just want everyone out there to know that store brand is really no different from name brand formula. I do also understand that some babies tummies do not agree with different formulas, but it is worth a try. Also, I have compared all the formulas myself when I was giving them to my sons and the differences I noticed were smells, texture, and consistency, but they drank them all just the same. Finally, It is always nice to have a choice and not spend extra money out of fear.

Here are some additional resources to check out:

Consumer Reports Article: Five ways to save money on baby stuff

FDA.gov website: Infant Formula Overview

PBM Products Press Release

Mama’s Money Savers Disclaimer: I was given a gift card to post this review. This review is 100% my opinion and has not been edited or reviewed by anyone. I was not compensated in any other way for this product review.