Obviously, every parent wants to provide their baby with the best they can. When the baby is a newborn, the best nutrition a mother can give to her baby is breast milk. However, in some situations, parents are forced to or want to bottle-feed their infants. In such a case, mothers strive to choose the best available products, such as HiPP Kindermilch. When searching for the most suitable baby formula, parents often face products with an “organic” label. Let’s try to figure out whether organic formulas are the best ones.
What Does “Organic Baby Formula” Mean?
The organic baby formula is one that does not contain pesticides, hormones, GMOs, synthetic chemicals, and potentially harmful substances. According to both the EU and the US requirements, a formula must have not less than 95% of the ingredients to be organic.
Here are the key characteristics of organic baby formulas:
- a base of organic cow’s or goat’s milk;
- lactose used as the main carbohydrate source;
- added whey that helps create a composition even more similar to breast milk;
- vegetable oils that ensure a necessary fatty acid profile;
- prebiotics and probiotics to boost the baby’s immunity;
- omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids to ensure the proper brain and nervous system development;
- crucial vitamins and minerals;
- lack of synthetic preservatives;
- lack of processed sweeteners.
So Does “Organic” Mean “Better”?
In many ways, the source of the nutrient is critical. Therefore, many parents consider organic ingredients a must when choosing the baby formula for their babies. By selecting a formula that is certified organic, a parent significantly decreases their baby’s potential exposure to harmful substances, such as chemicals, pesticides, toxins, heavy metals, and other substances that may be present in conventional ingredients. Such toxins are sometimes found in the production of the ingredients used in regular baby formulas.
European Organic Baby Formula
Many parents from the US wonder about European baby formulas. The key reason is that the EU has much stricter regulations on formulas in general than the US has. Overall standards for organic agriculture are much stricter in the European Union than in the United States.
Every European baby formula, even if it is not certified as organic, must be free from pesticide residue. Besides, the European Commission has come up with a long list of prohibited ingredients in baby formulas, including guar gum, carrageenan, pectins, and other substances. Besides, not less than 30% of the carbohydrates in European baby formulas must be derived from lactose. There are no such requirements in the US, even for organic infant formulas. Sucrose is prohibited in European baby formula. Furthermore, there are multiple types of European baby formulas for babies with special nutritional needs, and there are also organic options among them.
In a nutshell, organic baby formulas are really better than regular formulas since they guarantee the absence of harmful substances in the composition.