Organic baby formula is becoming increasingly popular, and reports predict that organic formula sales will more than double by 2027.
Organic baby formula has several advantages over non-organic formula. Not only is it healthier for your baby, but it is also better for the environment. As parents become increasingly aware of the potential hazards of things like pesticides, preservatives, and artificial growth hormones, more and more are opting to feed their babies organic formula.
Are you wondering why so many parents are ditching regular formula and choosing to go the organic route? Is organic baby formula for you?
Continue reading to find out the top 6 reasons to choose organic formula for your baby.
1. Organic Baby Formula Is Free From Agricultural Chemicals and Growth Hormones
One of the primary reasons many people choose organic baby formula is that it is free from pesticide residues and growth hormones.
All baby formula products undergo testing for things like pesticides. The amounts contained have to be in accordance with federal safety standards. However, there are growing concerns around whether or not these levels are actually safe for babies.
Infants and children are inherently more sensitive to drugs and toxic substances. Besides this, infants and children eat and drink more for their size than adults.
Research has shown that government standards for pesticides in food don’t take into account the increased vulnerability of babies and small children. They also don’t take into account the effect of additive toxicity of pesticide combinations in babies’ and children’s diets.
It’s hard to gauge what the toxic impact of these levels of pesticides in formula and baby food are. But what isn’t hard to gauge is whether or not you want to put your child at potential risk.
Besides pesticide residues, non-organic baby formula can also contain artificial growth hormones.
A large percentage of non-organic dairy farms used to use rbGH to increase milk production. After concerns started to rise about a potential link between rbGH and certain types of cancer, this is slowly being phased out.
Currently, only it’s estimated that only 17% of dairy cows in the US undergo rbGH injections. This is a substantial reduction, but it’s no guarantee that the formula you’re buying is hormone-free.
IF you opt for organic baby formula you can know for certain that it does not contain synthetic growth hormones.
2. You Won’t Be Feeding Your Baby Unnatural Preservatives, Emulsifiers, and Sugars
Another reason to choose organic baby formula is it’s free from harmful preservatives, emulsifiers, and sugars.
Some of the potentially harmful preservatives found in non-organic baby formula include:
- L-carnitine
- Taurine
- Hexane
- Nucleotides
- Lycopene
- Lutein
As far as emulsifiers go, research shows that common permitted emulsifier ingredients can disrupt the gut biome and metabolic health. One of the most common emulsifiers in formula (that organic baby formulas do not contain) is carrageenan.
On the sugar front, a lot of non-organic baby formulas contain harmful, unhealthy sugars such as fructose and corn syrup, which are also common ingredients in soft drinks!
Probably the last thing you’d do is feed your baby a soft drink, so why would you want to give them formula that contains the same harmful types of sugar?
Another thing to be aware of when it comes to sugar and baby formula is sucrose content. Sucrose is the equivalent of table sugar.
In Europe, at least 30% of the carbohydrates in baby formula have to come from lactose, and sucrose isn’t allowed as an ingredient. This isn’t a requirement in the US, even for organic baby formula.
This is one of the reasons why many parents prefer European baby formula.
3. Organic Baby Formula Is Free From Palm Oil
Besides being free from pesticides, artificial growth hormones, harmful preservatives, sugars, and emulsifying agents, organic baby formula also doesn’t contain palm oil.
Baby formula producers use palm oil because it helps to mimic the palmitic acid content of breast milk. Unfortunately, studies have shown that palm oil and its related extracts inhibit fat and calcium absorption in infants and lower bone mass.
This is another reason why a lot of parents are turning to European organic baby formula. Leading organic European baby formula brands like Holle contain zero palm oil.
4. Organic Baby Formula Is Also Usually Fresher
A further reason to opt for organic baby formula is that it’s usually fresher.
Unfortunately, like most other manufactured foods, baby formula undergoes large batch processing. What this means is that the ingredients get manufactured in large batches. Often far in the future, through synthetic processes that utilize potentially harmful chemicals and preservatives to keep the ingredients from spoiling.
Organic baby formula typically goes through smaller batch processing methods. One of the reasons for this is that manufacturers have to source their ingredients from smaller, organic farmers.
5. Organic Baby Formula Is GMO-Free
Are you worried about the effects of GMO foods? You should be.
Research indicates that GMO foods can have a wide range of harmful effects on the body. What’s more, genetically modified foods haven’t been around for all that long, so we have no way of knowing for sure what the long-term effects are.
Fortunately, instead of letting your baby be an unofficial test subject for GMO foods, you can avoid these entirely for the first stage of your baby’s life and opt for organic baby formula that’s GMO-free.
6. It Supports Better Farming Practices
The final advantage to choosing organic baby formula is that it supports better farmer practices and a more sustainable future for our children and the plant.
The types of large-scale dairy farms that supply the formula industry are, at best, ecological disasters that pollute the environment. At worst they are basically torture compounds where cows lose their calves instantly after birth and suffer abusive conditions and milking practices.
If this sounds like an exaggeration, think of this. The average teaspoon of milk in the US contains 1,120,000 neutrophils, the inflammatory immune cells that create pus. This is because 1 in 6 cows suffer from an “over-production” disease called mastitis, which is an infection of the udder.
Organic dairy farms tend to be smaller, more ethical operations that employ more humane milk production practices.
Are You Looking for the Best Organic Baby Formula for Your Little One?
Organic baby formula contains fewer potentially harmful substances than regular baby formula. It’s also the more ethical choice that’s better for the future of our planet.
Do you want the best organic baby formula for your little one? We have you covered.
FormUland stocks a variety of European organic baby formula brands, including goat milk formulas.
If you’re not sure which organic baby formula to choose, we’d recommend that you start by browsing our comparison chart.
