Abbott launches liquid infant formula made with whole milk
Abbott’s new Similac 360 Total Care Made With Whole Milk is a liquid infant formula designed for immediate use. The company said it uses a commercially sterile production process, with a heat treatment developed to destroy potentially harmful microbial spores, including those associated with Clostridium.
The FDA and the CDC recommend commercially sterile liquid formula in particular for infants younger than two months and for babies with weakened immune systems who are not breastfed. Abbott will manufacture the product at its facilities in the United States.
The formula reached physical and online shelves at Target and Amazon on Monday. Abbott said it would expand distribution to Walmart and other retail outlets in the following weeks. The product is being sold in 8-fluid-ounce and 32-fluid-ounce packages.
Abbott priced the new formula in line with the feeding cost of existing powdered versions of Similac 360 Total Care. The company’s original ready-to-use Similac 360 Total Care formula remains available in 2-fluid-ounce and 8-fluid-ounce formats. Its powdered products continue to be sold in several sizes and price ranges.
Misha Pardubicka-Jenkins, Abbott’s vice-president and general manager for paediatric nutrition in the United States, said the company had chosen an exclusively liquid format to combine the characteristics of whole milk with the convenience of a formula that is ready to use. The launch adds whole milk as an ingredient to Abbott’s infant-nutrition portfolio.
