While we are grateful that the HHS has initiated Operation Stork Speed to improve the safety, reliability, relaibility and nutrion of baby formula, you should know that formulas under previous administrations, which may still be in use today, have caused great harm to babies.

As parents, we know that what we feed our babies is of utmost importance. We tend to trust what is on the grocery store shelves, thinking our government is regulating for safety and the manufacturers are motivated to be responsible for their product claims. Unfortunately, that is not always the case, and we unknowingly feed our children things that make them sick. To those of us charged with safeguarding our little babies, there is almost no worse feeling.

Mosm Across America tested the formulas and found unaccepable levels of heavy metals in all of them.

The following lawsuits, however, were largely due to bacteria that we have not tested for. 

Lawyers representing several families (of such sick children) told jurors that premature infants who were fed Abbott’s cow-milk–based formula developed necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), which they described as a “horrible” disease because it destroys intestinal tissue in newborns.

The Illinois trial consolidates claims from four families whose babies developed NEC after receiving Abbott’s formula in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).

The plaintiffs argue that:

• Abbott knew or should have known that cow-milk-based formula increases NEC risk in premature infants.
• The company failed to warn doctors and parents about this risk.
• The affected babies suffered serious injuries and lifelong complications after developing NEC.

What is necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC)?

NEC is a life-threatening disease that mostly affects premature babies.

Key features include:

• The intestinal tissue becomes inflamed and can die.
• The bowel may perforate or rupture, leading to infection and sepsis.
• Many infants require surgery to remove parts of the intestine.
• Mortality rates can exceed 20 percent in severe cases.

Infants who do survive may suffer lifelong consequences such as:

• Short-bowel syndrome
• Chronic digestive problems
• Nutritional deficiencies
• Developmental issues.

The central scientific dispute

Plaintiffs in the lawsuits, which focus on cow-milk-based formula used for premature infants, cite studies that indicate that NEC occurs significantly more often in premature infants fed cow-milk formula than those fed breast milk.

However, Abbott and other formula makers deny that their products cause NEC. They defer to scientists who say that the difference may be because breast milk is protective, not necessarily because formula itself causes the disease. This scientific disagreement is central to the litigation.

A wave of lawsuits nationwide

This trial is part of a much larger legal battle. Nearly 1,000 lawsuits have been filed nationwide against Abbott and Mead Johnson (maker of Enfamil), many of which continue the claim that the companies failed to warn about NEC risk for premature babies. Some juries have already issued major verdicts:

• $60 million against Mead Johnson (2024)
• $495 million against Abbott in another NEC case

But outcomes have been mixed—some cases have also ruled in favor of the companies or been overturned on appeal.

Why this trial matters

This case could influence hundreds of pending lawsuits because it addresses key questions:

• Did formula companies know about NEC risks earlier than they disclosed?
• Should hospitals and parents have been warned more explicitly?
• Is cow-milk formula itself the risk, or simply the absence of breast milk?

The outcome may shape future liability, warnings, and hospital feeding practices for premature infants.

Moms Across America recommends that new mothers breastfeed and eat organic, whole, unprocessed, local food as much as possible. Support is available from La Leche League. When difficulties arise, keep trying and know that it is normal for it to be challenging or easy; every baby is different, and as a mother, you are both learning together. If you find it just isn't possible to breastfeed, please choose an organic formula as much as possible.