Ad group tells Kendal Nutricare to drop infant formula claims

(The Center Square) – A private ad watchdog told Kendal Nutricare to stop or change claims that infant formula Kendamil gives babies better nutrition and is closer to breast milk than other formulas.

The National Advertising Division of BBB National Programs issued the decision last week. Abbott Laboratories, which sells another infant formula, Similac, challenged the Kendamil ads.

The group upheld claims that whole milk is a main ingredient and adds natural milk fat. Yet, the group said Kendamil hasn’t proved that its product is any better than its competitors.

BBB told Kendamil to stop saying rival formulas lose "natural milk fats and important nutrients." It also rejected an ad that said Kendamil has "No skimming, no shortcuts, and no unnecessary ingredients."

The group also found problems with breast milk comparisons. It said whole milk fat and breast milk have some things in common but found no proof that those traits give babies better nutrition.

It told Kendamil to stop saying its whole milk keeps natural fats closer to breast milk. The company must also change or remove charts comparing fat in its product with other formulas.

The decision also covered human milk oligosaccharides, or HMOs. Kendamil said its three HMOs support a baby's immune health, but evidence doesn’t support that claim. 

Kendamil also used "Est. 1962" and "60 years of experience." BBB said those dates must clearly refer to the factory or its history of making formula, not to the production of the current product.

Kendamil said it would "comply with NAD's recommendations."

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The National Advertising Division isn’t a court or government agency. It’s part of a private, voluntary system and its rulings don’t say a company broke the law. However, it sometimes refers companies that don’t comply to a government agency.

The same day this decision became public, Abbott launched Similac 360 Total Care Made With Whole Milk.

Abbott said its product's fat blend is closer to the fat in breast milk. It also said its five HMOs support a baby's immune system, brain development and digestive health.

The Kendamil decision didn’t review Abbott's product nor the claims the company has made around its new formula.

The dispute comes as the Trump administration pushes for more formula choices and clearer details about ingredients.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Food and Drug Administration launched Operation Stork Speed in March 2025. The FDA said it would review formula nutrient rules for the first time since 1998 and expand tests for contaminants.

FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said in July 2025 that the agency was looking at formula without seed oils, added sugar and heavy metals.

Kendamil promotes whole milk and says its formulas have no palm or soy oil. A separate ad panel said the formulas it reviewed had sunflower, canola and coconut oils.

Kennedy said that effort would put "science front and center."