Similac (for "similar to lactation") is a brand of
infant formula
Infant formula, baby formula, or simply formula (American English); or baby milk, infant milk or first milk (British English), is a manufactured food designed and marketed for feeding to babies and infants under 12 months of age, usually prepar ...
that was developed by Alfred Bosworth of
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...
and marketed by
Abbott Laboratories
Abbott Laboratories is an American multinational medical devices and health care company with headquarters in Abbott Park, Illinois, United States. The company was founded by Chicago physician Wallace Calvin Abbott in 1888 to formulate known dr ...
. It was first released in the late 1920s, and then reformulated and concentrated in 1951. Today, Similac is sold in 96 countries worldwide.
History
* 1903 - Harry C. Moores and Stanley M. Ross launch the Moores & Ross Milk Company which specialized on bottling milk for home delivery.
* 1925 - Alfred Bosworth creates an infant formula called “Franklin Infant Food”, later renamed to Similac.
* 1928 - Company renames itself to "M &R Diatetic Laboratories", sells off its regular milk operations to Borden and focuses on infant milk.
* 1950 - Company introduces "Similac Concentrated Liquid" in the USA, a non-powder infant formula.
* 1959 - Company launches "Similac with Iron", an iron-fortified infant formula.
* 1961 - Similac opens a new plant in The Netherlands, its first factory outside of the US
* 1962 - Similac begins offering "Similac PM 60/40", for babies with specific medical conditions.
* 1964 - Company merges with Abbott Laboratories
* 1966 - Similac introduces "Isomil", a soy-based formula.
* 1970 - Similac arrives in Israel
* 1994 - Similac launches "NeoCare", a formula tailored to premature babies. Later renamed to "Similac NeoSure".
* 1999 - Similac creates "Similac with Iron Ready to Feed" formula bottle.
* 2000 - Similac starts offering "Human Milk Fortifier".
* 2002 - Similac introduces "Similac Advance with Iron", an infant formula with DHA and ARA.
* 2006 - Similac launches "Similac Organic", a certified USDA organic infant formula.
* 2011 - Simiilac launches "Similac Advance Plus", "Similac LeMehadrin" and "Similac Gentle" (lactose-free formula).
* 2013
** Similac begins offering "Similac Human Milk Fortifier Concentrated Liquid" for preterm babies in NICUs.
** Similac launches a formula designed for breastfeeding moms who choose to supplement.
** Similac launches "The Baby Journal" app, Diaper Decoder and Ecodu developmental kits
* 2014 - Similac promotes "Similac Breastfeeding Supplement" for nursing mothers
* 2015
** Similac brings forward "Similac Advance NON-GMO", a formula with ingredients not genetically engineered.
** Similac delivers a "big hit" commercial, whereby Hilary and Haylie Duff teamed up with Similac "to help raise awareness against mom-on-mom bullying"
* 2016
** Similac introduces "Go & Grow by Similac Food Mix-Ins", a supplement designed to mix into the food of toddlers.
** Similac begins offering "Pure Bliss by Similac", a formula starting with fresh milk from grass-fed cows that has no artificial growth hormones or antibiotics
** Similac launches "Similac Pro-Advance" and "Similac Pro-Sensitive", formulas containing 2’-FL
Human Milk Oligosaccharide
Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), also known as human milk glycans, are short polymers of simple sugars that can be found in high concentrations in human breast milk. Human milk oligosaccharides promote the development of the immune system, can ...
* 2022
** By February 2022, Abbott had initiated a voluntary recall of some Similac and Alimentum powdered infant formula (PIF) after finding evidence of
Cronobacter sakazakii
''Cronobacter sakazakii'', which before 2007 was named ''Enterobacter sakazakii'', is an opportunistic Gram-negative, rod-shaped, pathogenic bacterium that can live in very dry places, otherwise known as xerotolerance. ''C. sakazakii'' utilizes a ...
in some areas of Abbott's Sturgis, Michigan facility, known for manufacturing Similac, the leading PIF brand. In the United States, about 90% of the multibillion-dollar PIF market is controlled by only four companies, including Abbott, and the Sturgis facility is Abbott's largest. Most of Abbott's powdered formula was produced theremainly under the Similac brand namerepresenting 40% of the US market. The Office of the Commissioner of the
Food and Drug Administration
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respon ...
(FDA) published a May 2022 update on the recall of certain Similac, Alimentum and EleCare products as they investigate four cases of hospitalized infants involving
Cronobacter sakazakii
''Cronobacter sakazakii'', which before 2007 was named ''Enterobacter sakazakii'', is an opportunistic Gram-negative, rod-shaped, pathogenic bacterium that can live in very dry places, otherwise known as xerotolerance. ''C. sakazakii'' utilizes a ...
infection following the infants' consumption of PIF produced in Sturgis plant. Abbott shut down the Sturgis plant, out of an abundance of caution. There is no evidence that the infants' infections were caused by the powdered formula. The closure of the Sturgis plant for five months exacerbated the 2022 United States infant formula shortage which peaked in May. As of June 2022, the FDA was unable to prove a causal relationship between the deaths of nine infants who had consumed Abbott's PIF and Abbott products. The plant reopened in June.
Product Lineup
Premature
Newborn & Infants
Toddlers
For Mothers
Ingredients
Each formula contains various ingredients but most have OptiGRO, a mixture containing
*
DHA DHA, Dha and dha may refer to:
Chemicals
* Docosahexaenoic acid, a 22:6 omega-3 fatty acid
* Dehydroandrosterone, an endogenous androgenic steroid
* Dehydroascorbic acid, an oxidized form of ascorbic acid
* Dehydroacetic acid, a pyrone derivati ...
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is a group of eight fat soluble compounds that include four tocopherols and four tocotrienols. Vitamin E deficiency, which is rare and usually due to an underlying problem with digesting dietary fat rather than from a diet low in vitami ...
*
Nucleotide
Nucleotides are organic molecules consisting of a nucleoside and a phosphate. They serve as monomeric units of the nucleic acid polymers – deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA), both of which are essential biomolecules wi ...
s
*
Antioxidant
Antioxidants are compounds that inhibit oxidation, a chemical reaction that can produce free radicals. This can lead to polymerization and other chain reactions. They are frequently added to industrial products, such as fuels and lubricant ...
s
*
Prebiotics
Prebiotics are compounds in food that induce the growth or activity of beneficial microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi. The most common example is in the gastrointestinal tract, where prebiotics can alter the composition of organisms in the ...