A Brief History of Modern Formulas

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The rise of proprietary formulas

Despite the introduction of proprietary infant formulas in the 1920s, most parents continued to use evaporated milk formula because it was easy to prepare and affordable. It was not until the 1950s that commercial formulas began to slowly gain acceptance.

In the decades that followed, a variety of new formulas came on the market. Nutramigen, introduced in 1942, was the first protein hydrolysate infant formula. Ross Laboratories' Similac concentrate became available in 1951, and Mead Johnson's Enfamil (for "infant milk") was introduced in 1959. In that year, Ross first marketed Similac with iron. Iron-fortified formula was poorly accepted initially because of the widespread belief that iron fortification caused gastrointestinal disturbances such as diarrhea and constipation.

During the 1960s, commercial formulas grew in popularity, and by the mid-1970s they had all but replaced evaporated milk formulas as the "standard" for infant nutrition. During this time, the percentage of women who breastfed their newborn reached an all-time low (25%), in part because of the ease of use and low cost of commercial formula and a belief that formulas were "medically approved" to provide optimal nutrition for young infants.

A major factor in the acceptance of commercial formulas was their use in hospitals to feed newborn infants during the 1960s and 1970s. To encourage acceptance, formula companies began to provide inexpensive or free formula to hospitals in ready-to-feed bottles, enabling the phasing out of hospital formula preparation rooms. Mothers who witnessed how well their newborns accepted these easily prepared formulas were often convinced to continue this practice at home. Moreover, although pediatricians did not dissuade mothers from nursing, it was not strongly encouraged, as it is today.
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