FAQs

There are a variety of factors, but the largest is that big brands spend heavily on advertising and promotions, field reps and partnerships with hospitals across a broad portfolio of routine and specialty care products. Store Brands have significantly less of these expenses, so they can pass the savings on to consumers.

For over 25 years, we’ve proudly manufactured infant formula with an uncompromising commitment to quality, safety, and trust. Our team is made up of parents, grandparents, and community members who have fed their own children with the very products we create. Many of our ingredients come from the same trusted suppliers used by national brands — because every baby deserves the best. We take pride in every batch, knowing we’re nourishing the next generation with care and integrity – and providing the much-needed savings for families!

We realize free infant formula samples provide a benefit to both your patients and practice, but they are very expensive to produce and ship. One of the many ways we keep our costs down is by providing a very limited number of samples (if at all). However, we do provide pediatric offices a rebate program that allows patients to redeem up to $20 when they purchase any store brand in the USA.1 In addition, store brand infant formulas provide the lowest cost per ounce, allowing more feedings of safe infant nutrition per dollar without compromising on quality2 - so there is no need for on-going coupon hunting; by partnering with retail, grocery, and drug stores, we offer complete nutrition at a more affordable price.

Offices can request a poster to hang in their practice that educates families about Store Brand Formula, and allows them to take part in the rebate program. We mail the poster directly to offices and are valid one per family every 12 months.

Learn more and request a poster.

Yes. All infant formula legally sold in the United States must meet the same FDA standards for quality and nutrition. In fact, Congress has passed legislation mandating specific requirements to ensure the health of all children:

• Infant Formula Act of 1980: Set mandatory requirements for labeling, quality, and recalls as well as nutrient content minimums for 29 nutrients.
• Infant Formula Act of 1986: Requires infant formula manufacturers to submit formulas to the FDA when there is a major formulation change and clarifies quality regulations.
• The “Final Rule” of 2014. In 2014, the FDA issued a final rule under section 412 of the Federal Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act that finalized Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs) and quality control procedures specifically for infant formula to prevent the manufacture of adulterated infant formula, ensure the safety of infant formula, and ensure that the nutrients in infant formula are present in a form that is bioavailable to ensure the growth of infants. Additionally, it included requirements for manufacturers about notification to the FDA about new formulas, major changes to formulas and recordkeeping.
• Selenium Added as Required Nutrient in 2015. With this addition, the number of required nutrients increased from 29 to 30 nutrients with minimum and maximum levels. All infant formula legally sold in the USA must meet these requirements.
• For more information, please visit https://www.fda.gov/food/people-risk-foodborne-illness/questions-answers-consumers-concerning-infant-formula.

Store-brand infant formulas are generally not included in the WIC program due to the way WIC contracts are structured — not because of any difference in quality or nutritional value. Currently, WIC contracts require a manufacturer to bid by state contract for 3 formats (powder, ready-to-feed liquid and concentrate) under one brand to be distributed across or all WIC vendors (retailers). Due to the nature of having multiple retailer brands, and only producing powder, Perrigo does not participate in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) bidding process. However, all Store Brand Formulas are eligible for SNAP purchases which is a great alternative for families on WIC, when their allotment runs out. WIC is a supplemental program; it is not intended to provide for 100% of an infant’s needs.3

Yes, families with SNAP benefits can use them to purchase any infant formula of their choice, including all store brands options. SNAP, unlike WIC, does not restrict what type of formula families may purchase. This is important because on average, $20 can provide a family  over 6 feeding days with Store Brand Infant Formula vs. only 3.8 days with a national brand4, allowing families to stretch their dollars, not their formula.

Through pediatric providers like you, we offer one rebate per family, every 12 months. Our rebate program is designed to help families become comfortable with our products; other manufacturers try to achieve this level of comfort with samples. One rebate enables families to buy about 9 days6 of feedings—on us. This gives families nearly two times more formula than the “free formula” offered in a national-brand sample can. Once parents try and become comfortable with our products, they realize store brand formulas provide an average of 49% savings2 every day compared to national brands.*

1. Are the rebates free of charge for the office?
   Yes. We view our rebate program in the way big brands view their sampling programs, but our rebate program provides formula that lasts much longer for the infant compared to the national brands’ free samples. Using our $20 rebate, families can buy up to six days6 worth of feedings versus the national brand 8oz sample that lasts only three-four days. After successful feedings with store brand formula, moms and dads discover an average of 49% savings2 when they buy formula at their favorite store.
2. How long does it take for the rebate to be reimbursed?
   It takes about 48 hours for the rebate to be reimbursed. When parents purchase store brand formula, they simply take a picture of the receipt and upload it to the site. Once validated, the refund is issued by Venmo to the account used to register.

Definitely. WIC is a supplemental program; it is not intended to provide for 100% of an infant’s needs3 When families finish their WIC formula, they can look for the store brand option that closely matches the nutrition of the advertised brand. All infant formula in the United States is required to meet the same strict nutrition and safety standards set by the FDA. For each formulation, we try to make it easy for families to find their store brand option by working with retailers to use similar colors and names, including a clearly marked “Compare to the Nutrition of [insert brand]” statement on each package.

According to a study in Clinical Pediatrics5, two-thirds of families in the WIC program run out of WIC-supplied baby formula toward the end of most months. Among these families, 27 percent reported “formula-stretching”—watering down infant formula or reducing feedings—which can have serious health and developmental consequences for babies.



Store brand infant formulas typically cost families an average of 49% less than nationally advertised brands.2 When your patients run out of WIC formula each month, you can confidently recommend a nutritionally comparable store brand formula they can purchase at a lower price until they receive the next month’s allocation.

Perrigo currently manufactures all U.S. store brand infant formulas to exacting quality standards. Our FDA-inspected facilities are in Vermont, Wisconsin and Ohio, U.S.A. Our dairy ingredients are sourced from leading dairy markets, including the United States, Canada, and New Zealand. No matter where your patients shop, we provide a store brand option for them in grocery, drug, online and club stores. This includes national and regional retailers like Walmart, Target, Costco, Kroger, HEB, Meijer, CVS, Walgreens and many more.

Perrigo also acquired the rights to the Good Start® brand in the USA and Canada from Nestle in 2022, as well as the factory in Wisconsin. Perrigo and produces organic and specialty formulas like soy-based, reduced lactose, and partially hydrolyzed protein options. We also partner with brands to innovate in infant formula.

All store brand infant formulas provide 20 kcal/ounce.

The formulas we produce support growth and development, are high quality, and match the nutrition of the big-name advertised brands. While each manufacturer may have variations in nutrient levels, or source ingredients from different suppliers, we are all required to meet the same nutrition requirements to support infant growth and development. The primary difference is the price.

Our labels include a full “Compare & Save” chart listing nutrient, vitamin, and mineral levels in our product, the relevant national brand and the level required by the FDA. This makes it easy to compare nutrition and learn more about store brand savings by product.

Compare store brand to national brands on our formula comparison page.

Just like the national brands, Perrigo makes a variety of formulations for routine and solution-based feeding for healthy, full-term infants. We make milk-based and soy-based formulas for routine-feeding, formulas that address tolerance issues and a hypoallergenic formula. These include solutions for:

• Tolerance issues associated with intact (whole) cow’s milk protein: Formulas with partially hydrolyzed protein, named as Gentle™ or Complete Comfort™.
• Tolerance issues associated with lactose: The formula is 99% reduced lactose, compared to a standard milk-based formula, named as Sensitivity™ or Sensitivity Premium.
• Infants with cow’s milk allergy: Our Hypoallergenic infant formula includes extensively hydrolyzed casein to help manage colic and other symptoms of CMA.

Compare the nutrition of store brand to national brands on our formula comparison product pages.

No, Perrigo does not have office representatives that follow the typical pharmaceutical rep model. One of the ways we keep costs low is due to significantly less promotion. That includes no representatives that visit on doctors or hospitals, very limited samples (if at all) and limited advertising. We still want to ensure practices and healthcare providers have the product information and understanding they need to guide their patients and try to keep this product information accessible online. However, we are always available for questions through hello@perrigopediatrics.com.

To ensure we’re in touch with the pediatric healthcare community, we do attend and exhibit at many of the professional pediatric organization conferences, like American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP),) and National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) to ensure the latest information is available and we love hearing from you! Look for us there and we are happy to answer any questions in person.

We produce store brand infant formulas in FDA-inspected facilities in Vermont, Wisconsin and Ohio. Our dairy ingredients are sourced from leading dairy markets, including the United States, Canada, and New Zealand. We do NOT produce infant formula overseas. Not in China, and not in India.

Many of our ingredients are either USP- or FCC-grade ingredients and our facilities are audited for Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) compliance. While Perrigo sources raw materials globally, all raw materials, regardless of their country of origin, are required to meet the same stringent quality standards as their counterparts in the United States.

To safeguard product quality and safety, Perrigo employs a comprehensive risk-based quality assurance (QA) program throughout the product supply chain that confirms the quality and reliability of our raw materials and suppliers. Our program also includes audits of suppliers and sampling and testing of products. In addition, qualified vendors agree to follow all applicable requirements and standards.

All Perrigo infant formula products undergo testing required by the FDA to ensure the product is safe for use. Perrigo is fully compliant with the Safe Quality Food (SQF) Code, which certifies that a supplier’s food safety and quality management system complies with this international and domestic food-safety standard. We also conduct a finished product surveillance testing program to further enhance product compliance, safety, and quality.

Perrigo is a member of the Infant Nutrition Council of America (INCA), which is a U.S.-based trade association representing leading manufacturers of infant formulas and toddler milks. Its members include Abbott Nutrition, and Reckitt (which owns the Mead Johnson brand)

INCA’s Mission and Role:

• Advocacy for Infant Health: INCA promotes optimal infant nutrition and supports families in making informed feeding decisions.
• Education and Resources: It provides balanced, science-based information about infant feeding options, including breastfeeding and formula feeding.
• Support for Breastfeeding: While advocating for breastfeeding as the preferred method, INCA emphasizes that infant formula is the only safe and recommended alternative when breast milk is not available.
• Commitment to Safety and Quality: Member companies are committed to producing safe, nutritious products that meet rigorous standards and can be used with confidence.

INCA has been active for over 50 years, serving as a trusted voice in infant nutrition and working closely with healthcare professionals, regulators, and families.

More information can be found here: https://infantnutrition.org/