Where Is Enfamil Made?

If you’re a parent or a primary caregiver of an infant or toddler, you have undoubtedly heard of Enfamil. This leading baby formula brand is a popular breast milk substitute that parents use for their newborns and infants. It has become a household name because it provides complete nutrition for babies under one year old.

If you’ve been purchasing this brand or are considering it for your baby, you should know all about it. If you’re wondering, “Where is Enfamil made?” We answer this question and more. Knowing where this product came from will help you choose the right formula for your little one that is healthy and safe.

Let’s dive in.

Which Company Is Enfamil Made By?

Enfamil is one of the top baby formula brands in the world. It was formulated by Mead Johnson Nutrition, a Glenview-based company established by founder Edward Mead Johnson in 1905. The infant formula brand, marketed as "a low protein duplication of mother's milk,” was officially launched in October 1959.

In 1968, Bristol-Myers Squibb, a well-known pharmaceutical firm, acquired Mead Johnson Nutrition for $240 million. Bristol-Myers ran the company until 2009, when they parted ways.

Finally, in February 2017, reputed British firm Reckitt Benckiser Group acquired Mead Johnson Nutrition for $16.6 billion ($17.9 billion, including debt). Reckitt specializes in health, hygiene, and nutrition products. Other notable brands under this brand umbrella include Nutramigen (infant formula designed to manage Cow’s Milk Allergy), Biofreeze, Clearasil, Lysol, Mucinex, and many more.

Today, Mead Johnson Nutrition still manufactures Enfamil products as a subsidiary of the Reckitt Benckiser Group.

Is Enfamil Owned by Nestlé?

No, Enfamil is not owned by Nestlé. It is owned by Mead Johnson Nutrition, a subsidiary of Reckitt Benckiser.

Nestlé manufactures other baby and toddler formula brands. These include Nan, Lactogen, Nido, Good Start, and more.

Are Similac and Enfamil Made by the Same Owner?

No, Similac and Enfamil are not made by the same owner.

Enfamil is produced by Reckitt Benckiser’s subsidiary, Mead Johnson Nutrition.

Meanwhile, Similac is manufactured by a competing baby formula brand called Abbott Laboratories. This brand also produces other baby formulas like Alimentum and EleCare.

Where Is Enfamil Made?

Enfamil’s maker Mead Johnson has its company headquarters at Glenview, Illinois, near the Chicago area.

It has had a manufacturing plant in Evansville, Indiana, for over one hundred years. It also has other manufacturing plants at Zeeland in Michigan and Wanamingo in Minnesota.

Aside from these three facilities, Mead Johnson’s parent company Reckitt has been importing base baby formula powder from its Singapore plant since June 2022. This is done in order to mitigate the baby formula shortage in the United States that began in 2021.

Is Enfamil FDA Approved?

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has stringent standards for the production of baby formulas and toddler formulas.

Enfamil’s baby and toddler formulas adhere to these standards by undergoing rigorous safety and quality checks throughout the production process. It begins from the raw material stage to the finished product stage.

Enfamil tests a portion of samples from each product batch to confirm that the final products meet the company’s high quality standards.

This also ensures that all its baby formulas, including Enfamil Enspire, Enfamil NeuroPro, Enfamil Gentlease, and Nutramigen, comply with the FDA’s strict regulations regarding safety and nutritional quality. Enfamil’s baby products contain the right amounts of ingredients within the FDA’s guidelines for baby formulas.

These standards also apply to Enfamil’s toddler drinks, including Enfagrow NeuroPro and Enfagrow PREMIUM Toddler Next Step. Enfamil’s medical foods and dietary supplements, too, undergo these tests to ensure FDA compliance. These products include Enfamil Enfalyte, PurAmino Jr, PurAmino Toddler Medical Food, and Portagen.

Enfamil also follows rigorous packaging and quality assurance procedures to prevent spoilage and other issues. The company maintains proprietary Quality Systems within all its production facilities that verify product quality and safety. Enfamil only distributes its baby formulas to retailers once they pass multiple stringent tests.

Enfamil does not stop at just product safety. It also tracks the routes of all the ingredients in its baby and toddler formulas—from the respective suppliers to the various processing phases until they reach customers’ hands.

All Enfamil products also have unique batch codes that customers can quickly recognize and read. If the need arises, Enfamil’s trained staff uses these codes to further verify product safety.

Why Do Hospitals Use Enfamil?

Hospitals typically provide infant formulas for babies whose mothers cannot or don’t want to breastfeed or need to supplement their baby’s diet with additional nutrients.

Enfamil is a very popular ready-to-use baby formula that hospitals often provide new mothers for their babies. They are convenient to use and contain the right amount of nutrients for newborns.

In particular, Enfamil is recommended by many pediatricians and satisfied parents, making it a go-to choice among the many baby formulas available in the market. Enfamil A+ Stage 1: Infant Formula and Enfamil NeuroPro are especially popular as they have brain-building nutrients like docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

Enfamil also does not contain any genetically engineered ingredients. This makes it one of the best non-GMO infant formula options on the market.

Is Enfamil the Biggest Supplier of Baby Formula?

Until 2021, Enfamil was pegged at number two among infant formulas in the United States. Its rival Similac from Abbott Laboratories was at number one. Enfamil’s national market share was around one-third, while Abbott accounted for around 44%.

However, in early 2022, Abbott recalled its Similac, EleCare, and Alimentum baby formulas made at its facility in Sturgis, Michigan. This was due to multiple reports of bacterial infections in babies in multiple states from September 2021 to January 2022. The recall led to findings of contamination issues in Abbott’s manufacturing plant.

After this incident, Enfamil amped up its production to mitigate the growing supply shortage of infant formula in the United States. It ensured a continued supply of baby formulas by running its manufacturing plants 24/7 and consolidating its product portfolio to increase production capacity.

Enfamil has also been closely working with the federal government to secure much-needed raw materials for this boost in production. It also unlocked increased production capacity from its facility in Delicias, Mexico.

Enfamil has also partnered with retail stores to quickly dispatch orders and prioritize baby formulas to restock shelves across the country. The company now dispatches products immediately after verifying their safety and quality to adhere to the stringent standards for baby formulas.

It also prioritizes parents who fall under the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), who are among the most affected by the formula shortage.

These extensive efforts have helped 211,000 more babies compared to the period before the shortage. The brand now commands over half of the supply of baby formula in the country. It now stands at number one, effectively making it the nation’s biggest supplier of infant formulas.

Just as Abbott was getting back on its feet in May 2022, the company had to close operations at its Michigan plant once again. This time, it was due to severe weather. Operations restarted soon after cleaning the plant, and the company resumed its production and distribution operations. However, it still stands at number two in the country.

Why Was Enfamil Recalled?

On February 22, 2023, Reckitt, Enfamil’s parent company, recalled two batches of the brand’s ProSobee Simply Plant-Based Infant Formula. The reason was potential cross-contamination with Cronobacter sakazakii bacteria.

The recalled batches were produced between August and September 2022. They were sold in stores across the United States, Puerto Rico, and Guam.

Consumers can recognize the recalled batches by the numbers on the bottom of the containers. The batch numbers include ZL2HZF and ZL2HZZ. Their UPC code is 300871214415, with an expiration date of March 1, 2024.

The product recall affected thousands of  WIC families. Enfamil offered replacement benefits to users who returned the products to WIC clinics. Consumers could also avail of a refund or a product exchange upon returning the recalled formula containers to the place of purchase.

If a parent or caregiver who used a recalled product is worried about the infant’s health, they should contact their pediatrician immediately.

Until today, the company says the tests for the recalled product batches are negative for Cronobacter and other bacteria. There have also been no reports of illnesses or adverse reactions among infants.