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News from CRIS: Special Edition - Infant Formula Safety

May 12, 2026

The FDA tested more than 300 infant formula products for heavy metals, PFAS, pesticides, and other contaminants. What does it mean for safety? In this post, we explore the safety of infant formula.

But the most important takeaway from the report is straightforward:

The FDA confirms the infant formula products tested are safe for infants.

Top Takeaways:

  • The FDA recently released testing results for infant formula products sold in the United States and reported no safety concerns.
  • Testing included more than 300 samples of infant formula from major manufacturers.
  • The FDA found contaminant levels either non-detectable or at very low levels consistent with existing safety standards and environmental background exposure.
  • Infant formula remains one of the most highly regulated food products in the United States.
  • Experts continue to advise against homemade infant formula because commercially prepared formula is specifically designed to meet infants’ nutritional needs.

 

What contaminants did the FDA test for in the infant formula?

The FDA’s testing included screening for contaminants, including:

  • arsenic
  • cadmium
  • lead
  • mercury
  • pesticides
  • PFAS
  • phthalates

The agency reported that most results were either non-detectable or present at extremely low levels. Importantly, the FDA stated that the levels observed did not raise health concerns based on current scientific evidence and exposure assessments.

This kind of monitoring is a normal and expected part of modern food safety oversight.

What did the FDA actually find in infant formula? What do those numbers mean in real terms?

The FDA tested more than 300 infant formula samples and generated over 120,000 data points.

The results showed that an overwhelming majority of infant formula products had either:

  • no detectable contaminants, or
  • very low levels well below existing EPA drinking water requirements.

Here’s what the FDA found when formulas were tested as prepared for feeding:

Arsenic

  • 48% of samples had no detectable arsenic
  • 42% contained between 0.6–2.0 parts per billion (ppb)
  • 6% contained detectable levels up to 0.5 ppb
  • 4% were above 2.0 ppb

All samples were at least 2x below the EPA drinking water requirements for arsenic.

Cadmium

  • 34% had no detectable cadmium
  • 19% contained up to 0.2 ppb
  • 44% contained between 0.3–1.1 ppb
  • 3% were above 1.1 ppb

All samples were at least 3x below the EPA drinking water requirements for cadmium.

Lead

  • 40% had no detectable lead
  • 37% contained between 0.3–0.5 ppb
  • 20% contained up to 0.2 ppb
  • 3% were above 0.5 ppb

All samples were at least 8x below the EPA drinking water requirements for lead.

Mercury

  • 95% of samples had no detectable mercury
  • 5% contained detectable mercury up to 0.3 ppb

All samples were at least 6x below the EPA drinking water requirements for mercury.

The FDA also reported:

  • No pesticides were detected in 99% of samples
  • There were no detections for 25 of the 30 PFAS compounds tested
  • 95% of samples had PFAS levels at or below 28 parts per trillion (ppt)
  • 95% of samples had phthalate levels at or below 116 ppb

These are extremely small quantities.

A part per billion is one second in nearly 32 years or one drop of water in an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

A part per trillion is even smaller and is roughly equivalent to one second in nearly 32,000 years.

The FDA specifically noted that all tested samples were significantly below EPA drinking water requirements for lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic.

That means the levels identified were not considered a safety concern based on current scientific standards and exposure assessments.

It is also important to remember that these substances are naturally present in the environment. Trace amounts can be found throughout the food supply because they exist in soil, water, and air. Modern laboratory instruments are simply capable of detecting extraordinarily tiny amounts.

The FDA’s findings reinforce that commercially available infant formula in the United States remains highly monitored, highly regulated, and safe for consumers.

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To continue reading the entire blog post, visit: https://cris.msu.edu/news/special-edition/infant-formula-safety/.