Recently, more and more fruit-flavored milk powders have appeared on the market, all claiming to be specially designed for babies who don't like drinking milk, including those for infants as young as 6 months. Can fruit-flavored milk powder be a boon for babies who don't like formula? Can it replace infant formula? A reporter investigated and interviewed experts.

Experts in dairy and nutrition all said that fruit-flavored milk powder is not equivalent to formula, cannot replace it, and may even increase the risk of tooth decay. At the same time, experts said that the packaging of fruit-flavored milk powder blurs the age range for suitable users, which is a deliberate attempt by merchants to skirt regulations and is illegal, as is selling fruit-flavored milk powder to infants.

Some prices rival imported formula

Searching for "fruit-flavored milk powder" on Taobao yields brands such as Altamaya, Weibeimei, Anpei, and Aiyinle. Except for one claiming to be from Taiwan (Yingduo fruit and vegetable milk powder), all are domestic brands. Their origins include Gansu, Suihua in Heilongjiang, and Yichun in Jiangxi, though some brands claim their milk sources are imported.

Fruit-flavored milk powders are often promoted as having apple, strawberry, and other fruit flavors, high calcium, probiotics, and no sucrose. Unlike infant formula, which clearly marks stages 1, 2, and 3 by age, the packaging of these fruit-flavored milk powders does not clearly indicate the applicable age, but the packaging design is similar to that of infant formula. For example, Anbei fruit-flavored milk powder in cans features a baby wearing a diaper.

In addition, official or online promotional language for some fruit milk powder brands often includes phrases like "for babies," such as "Good milk source naturally produces good milk! Anpei fruit-flavored milk powder, the best-selling fruit-flavored milk powder nationwide! The best choice for babies who don't like formula." However, some brands' ads point out that they are for older infants or young children, e.g., "Specially designed for young children who don't like formula, with rich nutrition."

In terms of price, the above fruit milk powders sell online for 168-238 yuan per 800g, which is comparable to or even higher than imported stage-3 formula. For instance, in official flagship stores of well-known imported formula brands, Nutrilon stage 3 is on sale for 150 yuan per 800g, and Wyeth Illuma stage 3 is on sale for 288 yuan per 900g.

In promotion, fruit milk powders all claim to be specially designed for babies who don't like formula. "Good news for babies who don't drink formula! Fruit milk powder for babies over 6 months, great taste and full nutrition," is an ad from another fruit milk powder WeChat seller. A review of some fruit milk powder introductions reveals that they mainly claim to add various fruit ingredients, giving the milk a sweet fruit aroma that makes babies have a better appetite and enjoy drinking milk. They are classified as modified milk powder.

In terms of sales, fruit milk powder is still in its infancy. On Taobao, the best-selling fruit milk powder store has only about 10 orders per month. Comments show that in-store inquiries come mainly from mothers whose children don't like milk and those who want to strengthen nutrition for their thin children. Fruit milk powder may still be a blue ocean. The reporter also found that searching "fruit milk powder" on Baidu yields many franchise and agent recruitment ads.

No clear "stage" labeling for fruit milk powder

Infant formula is generally divided into three stages: 0-6 months for infants, 6-12 months for older infants, and 12-36 months for young children. Stage 1 formula requires a nutritional profile close to breast milk, with high requirements for the ratio of amino acids, fatty acids, and trace elements in protein. The requirements for the other two stages are relatively lower.

During the interview, the reporter found that fruit milk powder has no clear "stage" labeling. The reporter asked several stores selling fruit milk powder. Among them, a staff member at the Altamaya flagship store said their probiotic fruit milk powder is suitable for children aged 2 and above; the Qi'an Diaper store's Yingduo fruit and vegetable apple milk powder is said to be suitable for children over 3; Aiyinle probiotic fruit milk powder at the Aiyinjia mother-and-baby store is said to be suitable for babies over 6 months; and another Taobao store's Weibeimei fruit milk powder promotes its multi-vitamin high-calcium/AD-calcium no-sucrose varieties as suitable for children over 1 year old.

In other words, the reporter has not yet found any fruit milk powder suitable for infants under 6 months. Looking at the ingredient lists, they are relatively simple, mainly protein, fat, carbohydrates, and vitamins. Some also add lactoferrin.

Kong Jielan, an Australian registered dietitian and nutrition consultant at Yingyue, compared the ingredient lists of several fruit milk powders provided by the reporter and found that some contain skimmed milk powder or whole milk powder. "Babies under one year old have immature digestive systems and cannot digest cow's milk. For such babies, this type of milk powder is unsafe."

Some fruit milk powders also contain white sugar or sucrose in their ingredient lists. Kong Jielan said that neither newborns nor older infants should drink such sugary milk powder, as it increases the risk of tooth decay and fosters a preference for sweet tastes. "There is a general rule for ingredient lists: ingredients with higher content are listed first. In one fruit milk powder, sugar is listed second, indicating a very high sugar content." The reporter also found that even some fruit milk powders claiming to be sucrose-free contain maltodextrin in their ingredient lists. The dietitian said that maltodextrin is also a type of sugar and can increase the risk of tooth decay, so it is best to consume less.

Experts: Not suitable for children under three

During the interview, some fruit milk powder sellers admitted that fruit milk powder is modified milk powder, not infant formula, and cannot be consumed as formula. In addition, multiple experts interviewed believed that fruit milk powder is not equivalent to formula and do not recommend fruit milk powder for children under three.

Dairy expert Song Liang said that in fact, fruit and vegetable milk powder is not intended for infants; it is not produced according to infant formula standards. "Most fruit milk powder formulas are learned from foreign formulas, which are not for infants but for children over three." He said that national standards for infant formula are very strict, with specific requirements for protein, fat, amino acids, trace elements, and other components, each with limited levels. However, fruit milk powder does not actually contain as many nutrients, and the amounts added are not based on infant formula standards. Some components may be too high or too low, which can affect infants' health.

Moreover, the production safety of fruit milk powder is not as high as that of infant formula. Since it does not fall under the category of infant formula, it is excluded from government sampling inspections of infant formula, posing potential safety hazards.

Selling fruit milk powder to infants is illegal

"Fruit milk powder originally learned from Abbott PediaSure, which is mainly for children over three to meet their nutritional needs. At that age, children are just learning to eat and may have unbalanced nutrition, so fruit and vegetable powder provides relatively balanced nutrition," Song Liang said. He pointed out that now that the threshold for infant formula has been raised, many people are trying to "cut corners." "The state requires infant formula to clearly specify stages 1 to 3, but fruit milk powder does not indicate stages, blurring the age range for suitable users. This is a deliberate attempt by merchants to skirt regulations and is illegal. Selling fruit milk powder to infants is also illegal."

Kong Jielan suggested: "If parents, knowing the risks, still choose to let their babies drink fruit milk powder, then the baby must be at least one year old. It is best to choose products with higher calcium and protein per kilogram and where sugar is listed later in the ingredient list, but the daily amount should be controlled at 250ml."

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