Who Makes Your Child's Baby Formula? A Full Guide!

We investigated who actually manufactures infant formulas sold in the United States. Here's what we found!

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  By: Tali Ditye, Ph.D., Co-founder

  Updated: September 11, 2026

Mommyhood101 independently curates baby gear to inform decisions; AI may assist with editing. If you buy through links on our site, we may earn a commission.

If you've ever wondered whether the company named on your baby's formula can is the company that actually made it, the answers can be surprisingly complicated.

That's because an infant formula can have a brand owner, formula developer, manufacturer, contract manufacturer, packaging facility, and distributor, and those can all be different companies.

Our goal with this article is transparency, we believe parents should be able to know who actually makes the formula they're feeding their baby!

➡ Jump to the list!

Disclosure: We independently researched formulas for this article. We were not sponsored by any infant formula brand or manufacturer. Manufacturer relationships can change over time and sometimes differ by formula, package size, or production lot. We relied on FDA records, current product labeling, manufacturer documentation, inspection records, and company filings. When we could not independently verify the actual manufacturer, we say so.

Important recall note: ByHeart Whole Nutrition Infant Formula and Nara Organics Whole Milk Organic Infant Formula remain under full recalls and should not be used. We include them because they remain part of FDA's comprehensive U.S. formula records and because their manufacturing histories are relevant to this article.

There Are Far Fewer Formula Manufacturers Than Formula Brands

If you walk through Walmart, Target, CVS, Walgreens, Costco, Sam's Club, Kroger, H-E-B, Meijer, Amazon, and BJ's, it can look like the United States has dozens of competing infant formula manufacturers.

It doesn't.

A surprisingly large portion of the formula aisle can be traced to just a handful of manufacturers:

• Perrigo/PBM Nutritionals manufactures America's enormous private-label formula business, including formulas sold under many major retailer brands.
• Abbott Nutrition manufactures Similac and Abbott's extensive specialty-formula portfolio.
• Mead Johnson Nutrition/Reckitt manufactures Enfamil, Nutramigen, PurAmino, Pregestimil, and related products.
• Bobbie/Nature's One owns U.S. infant-formula manufacturing capacity in Ohio, while some Bobbie products have also been manufactured by Perrigo/PBM.
• Danone/Nutricia is behind Aptamil and portions of the specialty-formula market, while Danone also owns Happy Family Organics.
• Kendal Nutricare manufactures Kendamil.
• Ausnutria manufactures Kabrita.
• Australia Deloraine Dairy, owned by Bubs Australia, manufactures Bubs.
• ByHeart has its own U.S. production and canning facilities, although all ByHeart formula is currently recalled.
• Several newer brands, including Munchkin and Little Spoon, use contract manufacturers whose identities are not prominently disclosed to consumers.

Perhaps the most remarkable part is the store-brand market. Perrigo describes itself as the largest supplier of U.S. store-brand infant formula, and its formula program serves major retailers including Walmart, Sam's Club, Target, Kroger, CVS, Walgreens, Meijer, BJ's, Amazon, H-E-B, Costco, Safeway/Albertsons-associated retailers, and others.

Major Infant Formula Manufacturers at a Glance

Here's a list of the biggest infant formula manufacturers in the United States, where they manufacture formula, and the manufacturing model used.

Who Makes Each Infant Formula?

In February 2026, FDA launched its first centralized public list of infant formulas marketed in the United States. FDA currently identifies 155 non-exempt product entries, meaning routine formulas intended for healthy, full-term infants.

We used that FDA list as the foundation for the table below. Different forms of the same formula (e.g., powder, concentrated liquid, and ready-to-feed) are combined when the manufacturer is the same, but every distinct formula variety in FDA's current list is represented.

A note about manufacturing locations: A company having several factories does not mean every listed formula comes from every factory. Unless a company or product label identifies the precise production site, we list the manufacturer's known formula-production network rather than pretending we know which factory produced every can.

One of the biggest takeaways: Walmart, Target, Costco, Sam's Club, CVS, Walgreens, Amazon, Kroger, H-E-B, Meijer, Albertsons-associated stores, Topco stores, and BJ's may look like they offer competing retailer-manufactured formulas, but the underlying manufacturing is overwhelmingly concentrated at Perrigo/PBM Nutritionals.

Who Makes Specialty, Hypoallergenic & Medical Infant Formula?

FDA separately classifies formulas intended for premature infants, infants with cow's-milk protein allergy, metabolic disorders, low birth weight, and other unusual dietary or medical needs as exempt infant formulas.

There are currently 77 such product entries on FDA's comprehensive list. Some are sold at ordinary retailers, while others are primarily distributed through hospitals, pharmacies, medical suppliers, or healthcare providers.

Specialty Formulas Generally Available to Parents

Hospital, Premature, Metabolic & Institutional Formulas

Perrigo/PBM Nutritionals: The Company Behind America's Store-Brand Formula

If there is one company parents should know after reading this article, it is Perrigo.

Perrigo's infant-formula business came largely from its acquisition of PBM Holdings. Perrigo announced the $808 million acquisition in 2010, describing PBM at the time as the world's largest manufacturer and marketer of store-brand infant formula.

PBM had already spent years building the private-label formula category. It acquired a Vermont formula facility in 2005 and a Covington, Ohio facility in 2009 before becoming part of Perrigo.

Then, in 2022, Perrigo significantly expanded again. It purchased Nestlé's Gateway infant formula manufacturing plant in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, along with the U.S. and Canadian rights to the Good Start infant-formula brand. Perrigo said the investment would bring its U.S. infant-formula network to facilities in Vermont, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

That means Perrigo is not merely making one generic formula for one retailer.

Its manufacturing network sits behind an enormous portion of the American store-brand formula aisle.

Perrigo also manufactures formula outside conventional retailer labels. It owns U.S./Canadian Good Start rights and has contract-manufacturing relationships with other formula companies.

This explains why two formulas with very different packaging – or even two formulas sold by supposedly competing retailers – can have remarkably similar ingredient lists, nutrition panels, preparation instructions, and container designs.

That does not mean every Perrigo-made formula is identical. Perrigo manufactures multiple formulations, including standard milk-based, gentle, sensitivity, soy, organic, whole-milk, and hypoallergenic formulas. Retailer specifications can also change over time.

Abbott Nutrition: The Manufacturer Behind Similac

Abbott is one of America's oldest and largest healthcare companies. Dr. Wallace C. Abbott began the business in Chicago in 1888. Abbott entered what would become a major nutrition business in 1964 when it acquired M&R Dietetics and the Similac brand.

Today, Abbott manufactures the enormous Similac portfolio along with Alimentum, EleCare, NeoSure, premature formulas, metabolic formulas, and human-milk fortifiers.

Known facilities relevant to the U.S. formula supply include:

• Sturgis, Michigan – a major powdered-formula facility.
• Columbus, Ohio – important ready-to-feed liquid formula production.
• Cootehill, Ireland – FDA-registered Abbott production that has supplied Similac powder to the United States.
• Additional Abbott international nutrition facilities that can supply particular products and markets.

The precise factory therefore depends on the particular Similac formula and its form. A Similac ready-to-feed bottle and a can of powdered Similac should not automatically be assumed to have come from the same factory.

Mead Johnson/Reckitt: The Manufacturer Behind Enfamil

Mead Johnson & Company dates to 1905 and has been involved in pediatric nutrition for more than a century. Reckitt acquired Mead Johnson Nutrition in 2017, bringing the Enfamil and Nutramigen families into Reckitt.

Mead Johnson's U.S. headquarters are in Evansville, Indiana, which Reckitt describes as home to its largest U.S. research-and-development and manufacturing center.

Other important U.S. formula facilities include Zeeland, Michigan and Wanamingo, Minnesota. Mead Johnson also operates an international manufacturing network, so the precise source can vary by product.

Mead Johnson/Reckitt is responsible for an extensive portfolio that goes well beyond ordinary Enfamil Infant, including Gentlease, NeuroPro, ProSobee, Reguline, EnfaCare, Nutramigen, Pregestimil, PurAmino, premature formulas, human-milk fortifiers, and metabolic formulas.

Bobbie/Nature's One: An Especially Interesting Manufacturing Story

Bobbie is one of the best examples of why identifying a formula's manufacturer is more complicated than simply identifying its brand.

Bobbie launched as a newer premium infant-formula company and initially relied heavily on outside manufacturing. In 2023, Bobbie acquired Nature's One, giving it its own infant-nutrition manufacturing facility in Ohio. Bobbie subsequently expanded that facility, and its current consumer materials emphasize owned, vertically integrated U.S. manufacturing.

Bobbie now says its infant formulas are produced at its owned and operated U.S. manufacturing facility, with ingredient handling, formula manufacturing, canning, and packaging under one roof.

But there is an important wrinkle.

A Bobbie healthcare-professional concentration chart dated September 2025 specifically states that its 14.1-ounce Bobbie Organic Gentle cans were manufactured at PBM Nutritionals LLC in Georgia, Vermont, and instructs healthcare professionals to check individual can labels.

That means the safest answer to "Who makes Bobbie?" is:

Bobbie owns and operates infant-formula manufacturing in Ohio, but at least some Bobbie production has also been performed by Perrigo/PBM Nutritionals. Check the "Manufactured By" statement on the individual can when the exact production source matters.

This is not inherently concerning. Large food and nutrition companies routinely use multiple qualified production sources. But it is a perfect demonstration of why brand ownership and physical manufacturing should not be treated as interchangeable.

Danone/Nutricia: Aptamil, HappyBaby & Specialty Nutrition

Danone became a much larger infant- and medical-nutrition company when it acquired Royal Numico in 2007, bringing Nutricia and more than a century of specialized nutrition expertise into the Danone group.

Aptamil

Aptamil's manufacturing is relatively transparent. Danone says its Macroom, Ireland facility produces infant-formula base powder, while formula is finished and packaged at its large Wexford, Ireland facility. Aptamil is specifically identified among the brands produced through this network.

HappyBaby Organics

Happy Family Organics is part of Danone. The company says its current U.S. formulas are made in an FDA-registered European facility and offers lot-level traceability through QR codes on the package.

However, its general consumer materials do not prominently identify the legal name of the individual manufacturing plant. For that reason, we list the precise plant as not publicly disclosed rather than filling in an assumed Danone facility.

Nutricia/SHS International

FDA is unusually explicit about several Nutricia specialty formulas: Nutricia North America is the distributor and brand, while SHS International, Ltd. in the United Kingdom is the manufacturer.

This includes Neocate, Pepticate, Fortini, and several specialized metabolic formulas.

Kendal Nutricare: Who Makes Kendamil?

Kendamil is made by the British family-owned company Kendal Nutricare.

The company's main Kendal facility in England's Lake District opened in 1962 as a center for infant-formula production. The McMahon family took over the factory in 2015, and the Kendamil brand was launched in 2016.

Kendamil's manufacturing footprint has since expanded. Kendal Nutricare now refers to its factories in Kendal and Europe, and its U.S. materials emphasize that the entire infant-formula range remains European-made.

For that reason, we would no longer automatically describe every U.S. Kendamil can as having been manufactured specifically at the Kendal factory. The safest description is manufactured by Kendal Nutricare in its UK/European production network, with the individual package providing the best information about a particular lot.

There is also an important recall distinction. Some parents may find references online to a 2021 U.S. recall involving Kendamil. That action involved Able Groupe, a third-party importer that was selling European formulas in the United States without satisfying U.S. infant-formula requirements. It should not be confused with a manufacturing contamination recall of today's FDA-marketed U.S. Kendamil formulas.

Ausnutria: Who Makes Kabrita?

Kabrita is one of the easier brands to trace.

Kabrita is manufactured by its parent company, Ausnutria B.V., in the Netherlands. Kabrita says its FDA-registered production locations include Ommen, Kampen, Leeuwarden, and Heerenveen.

Ausnutria has more than 75 years of formula experience, and Kabrita emphasizes that its parent company controls much of the supply chain from Dutch goat farms through formula production.

Kabrita's infant formula entered the U.S. market in 2024.

Australia Deloraine Dairy: Who Makes Bubs?

Bubs is another unusually transparent example.

Bubs product labeling identifies the manufacturer as:

Australia Deloraine Dairy Pty Ltd
Dandenong South, Victoria, Australia

with Aussie Bubs Incorporated in San Francisco serving as the U.S. distributor.

Bubs Australia acquired Australia Deloraine Dairy in 2019 as part of a strategy to gain greater control over its infant-formula supply chain. That makes this substantially different from a startup simply hiring an unrelated white-label manufacturer.

The Bubs 365 Day Grass Fed, Bubs Essential, and Bubs Goat formulas on FDA's U.S. list all trace back to this Bubs manufacturing system.

ByHeart: U.S. Manufacturing, But Currently Under Full Recall

ByHeart built an unusually vertically integrated U.S. manufacturing system for a newer formula company.

The batches involved in the 2025 recall were produced at ByHeart's facility in Allerton, Iowa and canned at its facility in Portland, Oregon. ByHeart also owns a facility in Reading, Pennsylvania, although that facility has not produced formula for market since 2023.

ByHeart's regulatory history is substantial and is discussed in more detail below.

Most importantly, all ByHeart Whole Nutrition Infant Formula remains recalled. The 2025-2026 infant-botulism outbreak ultimately included 48 infants across 17 states; all were hospitalized and no deaths were reported. CDC declared the outbreak over on February 26, 2026, but the product recall remained in place and ByHeart reported that production remained paused.

FDA testing linked Clostridium botulinum found in finished ByHeart formula and an affected infant to isolates found in organic whole-milk powder used in production. FDA's subsequent work has focused heavily on the ingredient supply chain and supplier controls.

Munchkin, Little Spoon & Nara: When the Manufacturer Isn't Disclosed

Newer formula brands have created some of the most interesting transparency questions.

Who Makes Munchkin Infant Formula?

Munchkin says its new infant formulas are made at a purpose-built infant-nutrition facility in Canada that opened in 2019.

According to Munchkin, milk reception, pasteurization, drying, blending, filling, and packaging all happen at the same site, which is registered with FDA and inspected by both FDA and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

What Munchkin does not prominently disclose is the legal identity of its manufacturing partner.

There are clues that could be used to speculate about which Canadian company operates the facility, but we don't think speculation belongs in a transparency article. Until we can verify the manufacturer from Munchkin, FDA documentation, or current product labeling, our answer is:

Manufacturer: Not publicly disclosed by Munchkin.
Manufacturing location: Canada.

Who Makes Little Spoon Infant Formula?

Little Spoon takes a similar approach.

Little Spoon says its Organic Whole Milk Infant Formula is made in the United States by a manufacturing partner with more than 25 years of infant-formula experience.

But Little Spoon does not name that company in its public manufacturing FAQ.

Other industry sources have identified Perrigo/PBM as Little Spoon's white-label manufacturing partner. That identification is plausible given Perrigo's contract-manufacturing business and U.S. production footprint, but we have not yet found a current Little Spoon primary-source document or current package label that conclusively names PBM.

Therefore, we are deliberately listing Little Spoon's manufacturer as not publicly disclosed.

Who Made Nara Organics?

Nara described its manufacturing arrangement as toll manufacturing: Nara owned and controlled its formula recipe while an experienced German infant-formula manufacturer physically produced it.

Nara said its primary German partner had more than 70 years of infant-formula manufacturing experience but did not publicly identify the company by name.

During FDA's 2026 infant-botulism investigation, an additional detail became public: FDA said it had inspected two firms that manufacture Nara formula in Europe, and both facilities received inspection observations.

FDA still did not publicly name those two firms in its outbreak update.

Third-party reporting has attempted to identify Nara's European manufacturers, but because FDA and Nara have not clearly confirmed the legal manufacturers in the public records we reviewed, we are listing them as undisclosed European toll manufacturers.

All Nara infant formula was recalled on June 13, 2026. FDA ultimately confirmed four infant-botulism cases associated with Nara. The outbreak was declared over August 27, 2026, but the recalled product should no longer be sold or used.

Other Specialty Formula Manufacturers

Nestlé Health Science

Nestlé Health Science remains an important specialty-formula manufacturer even though Perrigo acquired the U.S. Good Start business and Eau Claire facility from Nestlé in 2022.

FDA currently attributes Alfamino Infant and Extensive HA to Nestlé Health Science. During the 2022 formula shortage, Nestlé publicly identified Alfamino as coming from Switzerland and Extensive HA as coming from the Netherlands.

Prolacta Bioscience

Prolacta occupies a very different part of the formula market. Its products are made from pasteurized donor human milk and are designed primarily for premature and medically fragile infants in hospitals.

Prolacta operates U.S. facilities in California, including its specialized manufacturing operation in City of Industry.

Why Do So Many Store-Brand Formulas Come From Perrigo?

Store brands work differently from national formula brands.

Walmart does not need to build an infant-formula factory to sell Parent's Choice. Target doesn't need one to sell Up&Up, and Costco doesn't need one to sell Kirkland Signature.

Instead, retailers contract with an established infant-formula manufacturer.

In the United States, that manufacturer is overwhelmingly Perrigo/PBM Nutritionals.

This model has several advantages. One manufacturer can operate expensive specialized formula infrastructure at large scale while retailers compete on distribution, package size, pricing, and branding.

It also explains why store-brand formulas from different retailers can sometimes appear almost interchangeable.

But parents should not assume that two formulas are identical merely because Perrigo makes both. Perrigo owns and produces multiple formula recipes, and formulas can differ in protein source, carbohydrate composition, prebiotics, HMOs, milk fat, DHA/ARA, hydrolysis, and other ingredients.

The important transparency point isn't "all store-brand formulas are the same."

It's that many seemingly independent formula brands share the same underlying manufacturer.

Infant Formula Manufacturer Recall & Regulatory History

Recall history needs to be interpreted carefully.

A recall involving one lot of one product does not mean every product made by that company was recalled, and a packaging problem is not equivalent to a pathogen-associated outbreak.

We therefore think the most useful approach is to identify the important event, the reason, and the scope.

What about manufacturers not shown above? During our research, we did not identify a comparable recent U.S. infant-formula recall involving the current FDA-marketed Kabrita, Bubs, or Munchkin infant formulas. That statement is not intended to mean that a company has never experienced any recall, quality event, or regulatory action anywhere in the world; it reflects the U.S. infant-formula events we were able to verify during this review.

What Do "Manufactured By," "Manufactured For," and "Distributed By" Actually Mean?

This might be the most useful trick in the entire article.

Turn your formula can around and look for the company statement near the ingredient, nutrition, or contact information.

FDA food-labeling guidance requires a food label to identify the manufacturer, packer, or distributor. If the company whose address appears on the label is not the actual manufacturer, the label should use qualifying wording such as "Manufactured for" or "Distributed by."

There is an important limitation: the business address printed on a package is not necessarily the factory address. It can be the company's principal place of business.

That's why simply Googling the address on a formula can sometimes leads parents to a corporate office rather than the facility where the powder was made.

White Label vs. Contract Manufacturing vs. Toll Manufacturing

How We Determined Who Makes Each Infant Formula

We wanted this article to be more rigorous than simply repeating claims from retailer listings or other parenting websites.

Our starting point was FDA's 2026 comprehensive list of infant formulas marketed in the United States. FDA introduced this centralized resource in February 2026 specifically as part of an effort to improve transparency for families and healthcare providers.

From there, we attempted to identify the manufacturer using, in roughly descending order of confidence:

• FDA manufacturer listings, inspection records, warning letters, recalls, and regulatory documents.
• The "Manufactured By" statement from current formula labeling.
• Manufacturer and brand documentation identifying manufacturing facilities.
• Corporate filings, acquisitions, and manufacturing announcements.
• Healthcare-professional product specification sheets.
• Retailer label reproductions where primary materials were unavailable.
• Credible secondary evidence only when primary evidence could not be located.

When evidence conflicted, we generally chose the more conservative answer.

For example, if a brand says "made in the USA by our trusted manufacturing partner" but doesn't identify that company, we do not automatically publish the name of a manufacturer simply because another company or website claims to know it.

We would rather write "not publicly disclosed" than give parents false certainty.

We also distinguish among:

Brand owner ≠ manufacturer ≠ manufacturing plant ≠ distributor.

Those terms are often treated as interchangeable online. They aren't.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who manufactures Parent's Choice infant formula?
Parent's Choice infant formula sold by Walmart is manufactured by PBM Nutritionals/Perrigo. Perrigo operates infant-formula manufacturing facilities in Vermont, Ohio, and Wisconsin, although the exact facility can vary by product and production lot.

Who manufactures Costco Kirkland infant formula?
Kirkland Signature infant formula is manufactured through Perrigo/PBM Nutritionals, the same major private-label formula manufacturer behind many other U.S. retailer brands.

Who makes Member's Mark infant formula?
Member's Mark infant formula sold by Sam's Club is manufactured by Perrigo/PBM Nutritionals.

Who makes Target Up&Up infant formula?
Target's Up&Up infant formulas are manufactured by Perrigo/PBM Nutritionals. FDA also specifically identifies PBM Nutritionals, a wholly owned Perrigo subsidiary, as manufacturer of Up&Up Hypoallergenic.

Who makes CVS infant formula?
CVS Health store-brand infant formula is manufactured by Perrigo/PBM Nutritionals.

Who makes Walgreens infant formula?
Walgreens store-brand infant formulas are manufactured by Perrigo/PBM Nutritionals.

Who makes H-E-B infant formula?
H-E-B Baby store-brand formulas are manufactured by Perrigo/PBM Nutritionals.

Who makes Amazon Mama Bear formula?
Amazon's Mama Bear infant-formula line is manufactured by Perrigo/PBM Nutritionals.

Who makes Meijer infant formula?
Meijer infant formulas, including the True Goodness organic whole-milk formula, are part of Perrigo's private-label formula program.

Are Parent's Choice, Up&Up, Member's Mark, and Kirkland formula the same?
They share a manufacturer, but that does not automatically make every formula identical. Perrigo produces multiple formulations. Compare current ingredient lists and Nutrition Facts panels rather than assuming two formulas are exactly the same because they come from the same manufacturer.

Who manufactures Good Start formula?
Perrigo acquired the U.S. and Canadian rights to Good Start and Nestlé's Gateway infant-formula plant in Eau Claire, Wisconsin in 2022. The current Good Start Dr. Brown's formulas are part of Perrigo's infant-nutrition business.

Who manufactures Similac?
Similac is manufactured by Abbott Nutrition. Abbott's U.S. and international manufacturing network includes major facilities in Sturgis, Michigan; Columbus, Ohio; and Cootehill, Ireland, among others. The specific facility depends on the formula and product form.

Who manufactures Enfamil?
Enfamil is manufactured by Mead Johnson Nutrition, which has been part of Reckitt since 2017. Its U.S. manufacturing network includes facilities in Michigan, Minnesota, and Indiana, with additional international production.

Who manufactures Bobbie formula?
Bobbie owns and operates infant-formula manufacturing in Ohio following its acquisition of Nature's One. However, at least some Bobbie formulas/lots have also been produced by PBM Nutritionals/Perrigo. A Bobbie HCP document specifically identifies 14.1-ounce Organic Gentle cans manufactured in Georgia, Vermont by PBM. Check the individual can for the most precise answer.

Who manufactures Kendamil?
Kendamil is manufactured by family-owned Kendal Nutricare. Its historic primary plant is in Kendal, England, but the company now describes infant-formula production across facilities in Kendal and Europe.

Who manufactures Kabrita?
Kabrita is manufactured in the Netherlands by its parent company Ausnutria. Kabrita identifies FDA-registered production locations in Ommen, Kampen, Leeuwarden, and Heerenveen.

Who manufactures Bubs infant formula?
Bubs formula is manufactured by Australia Deloraine Dairy Pty Ltd in Dandenong South, Victoria, Australia. Bubs Australia owns Australia Deloraine Dairy.

Who manufactures Munchkin infant formula?
Munchkin says its formula is produced in a purpose-built Canadian infant-nutrition facility that opened in 2019 and is registered with FDA and inspected by Canadian regulators. Munchkin does not prominently identify the legal manufacturing partner, so we currently classify the manufacturer as not publicly disclosed.

Who manufactures Little Spoon infant formula?
Little Spoon says its infant formula is manufactured in the United States by a partner with more than 25 years of infant-formula experience, but it does not publicly name that partner in its manufacturing FAQ. Other evidence points toward Perrigo/PBM, but until we can independently verify a current package label or primary document, we classify the manufacturer as undisclosed.

Who manufactures Nara Organics formula?
Nara used toll manufacturing in Europe and described its principal partner as a German infant-formula manufacturer with more than 70 years of experience. Nara did not publicly name that company. FDA subsequently said two European firms manufactured Nara formula but also did not name them in its public outbreak update. All Nara formula is currently recalled.

Is ByHeart formula currently available?
It should not be. All ByHeart Whole Nutrition Infant Formula was recalled during the 2025 infant-botulism outbreak. Although the outbreak was declared over in February 2026, the recall remained in place and ByHeart reported that production was paused.

Why does my formula say "Distributed by" instead of "Manufactured by"?
Because the company whose name is most prominent on the package may be the distributor rather than the physical manufacturer. FDA labeling rules permit the manufacturer, packer, or distributor to be identified, but qualifying language such as "Distributed by" or "Manufactured for" is required when the named firm is not the actual manufacturer.

Can the manufacturer of my formula change?
Yes. Brands can add factories, purchase manufacturing facilities, change contract manufacturers, or use multiple qualified facilities simultaneously. Bobbie is a particularly clear example. That's why the current can label and lot-specific information are more reliable than assuming a manufacturing relationship remains permanent.

Does sharing a manufacturer mean two formulas are identical?
No. A single manufacturer may produce many recipes. Some private-label formulas are extremely similar across retailers, but others differ substantially. Always compare the actual ingredient list and nutrition panel.

Overall Conclusions: The Formula Aisle Isn't What It Looks Like

The biggest thing we learned while researching this article is that the number of formula brands dramatically overstates the number of actual formula manufacturers.

A parent might reasonably assume that Parent's Choice, Up&Up, Kirkland Signature, Member's Mark, CVS Health, Walgreens, Mama Bear, Comforts, H-E-B Baby, Meijer, Tippy Toes, Signature Select, and Wellsley Farms represent a dozen different formula manufacturers.

In reality, they largely lead back to the same place:

Perrigo/PBM Nutritionals.

Likewise, the enormous Similac family is Abbott Nutrition, while the Enfamil family and many well-known specialty products are Mead Johnson/Reckitt.

The newer premium brands make the picture more interesting.

Kabrita is manufactured by parent company Ausnutria in the Netherlands. Bubs identifies Australia Deloraine Dairy directly on its labeling. Kendamil is manufactured by Kendal Nutricare. Bobbie now owns substantial U.S. manufacturing infrastructure but has also used Perrigo/PBM production. Munchkin tells parents a great deal about its Canadian factory without identifying the company operating it. Little Spoon tells parents it has an experienced American manufacturing partner but doesn't publicly name the partner. Nara promoted its German toll-manufacturing relationship without identifying the company behind the factory.

None of those manufacturing models is automatically good or bad.

Owned manufacturing does not guarantee that a company will never have a recall, and contract manufacturing does not mean a formula is lower quality.

What matters to us is that parents can understand the relationship.

If the company on the front of a formula can didn't actually manufacture the formula, we think parents should be able to find out who did.

If a retailer sells the same manufacturer's formula under a different label, parents should be able to know that too.

And when the actual manufacturer cannot be determined from reliable public information, the most transparent answer isn't to guess.

It's simply: We don't know yet.

We'll continue updating this guide as formulas enter or leave the U.S. market, manufacturers change, production facilities expand, and better manufacturing information becomes available.