Advance Infant Formula Powder

Name: Advance Infant Formula Powder
Brand: Similac

0Avoid

Breakdown

Ultra-processed · 3 contaminants flagged · 5 ingredients to avoid

Includes lab results from its product family: Similac Advance milk-based powder (GOS)

100

Lab-measured contaminants

Measured against published safety limits

−38

aluminum−29

arsenic−5

lead−4

Ingredients

−85

high oleic safflower oil−16

soy oil−16

soy lecithin−4

folic acid−4

manganese sulfate−4

40 more deductions−41

Processing

−10

NOVA 4: ultra-processed−10

Adjustments

What it takes to land on the final number

+33

Minimum score+33

Final score0

Contaminants · 9

1 at/over limit

Measured by an independent lab and compared against published safety limits.

Aluminum414 ppbof 200 ppb

Over the limit — 2.1×FDA bottled-water Standard of Quality (secondary/aesthetic), 21 CFR 165.110(b) — 0.2 mg/L. NOTE: this is a bottled-water level; it is not an FDA limit for aluminum in solid foods, where no comparable federal limit exists.

Lead2 ppbof 5 ppb

40% of the limitFDA bottled-water Standard of Quality, 21 CFR 165.110(b) — 0.005 mg/L

AcrylamideNDof 40 ppb

Not detectedEU benchmark level, Commission Reg. (EU) 2017/2158 Annex IV — 40 ug/kg for baby foods and processed cereal-based foods for infants and young children (other than biscuits and rusks), the tightest benchmark in the regulation. Applied to all foods as the TIGHTEST published acrylamide number. EU benchmarks are mitigation-performance indicators, not legal maximum levels; looser category benchmarks not adopted include potato crisps 750, crackers 400, biscuits and wafers 350, breakfast cereals 150-300, roast coffee 400 ug/kg. No FDA or EPA food concentration limit exists.

ArsenicNDof 10 ppb

Not detectedFDA bottled-water Standard of Quality, 21 CFR 165.110(b) — 0.010 mg/L (= EPA MCL)

Bisphenol a (BPA)NDof 1 ppb

Not detectedEU Reg. (EU) 2024/3190 — BPA banned in food-contact materials from 20 Jan 2025 (old 0.05 mg/kg SML repealed); the residual exemptions require NO detectable migration at a 1 ug/kg detection limit. 1 ppb is therefore the tightest published number.

BpfNDof 10 ppb

Not detectedNot on the EU Union list of substances authorised in food-contact plastics (Reg. (EU) 10/2011 Annex I), and Reg. 2024/3190 restricts hazardous bisphenols; no migration is permitted. Set at 0.01 mg/kg, the detection limit 10/2011 uses for not-detectable (ND) restrictions.

BPS (Bisphenol s)NDof 50 ppb

Not detectedEU food-contact plastics, Reg. (EU) 10/2011 — BPS (4,4'-sulphonyldiphenol) SML 0.05 mg/kg; BfR applies the same 0.05 mg/kg.

CadmiumNDof 5 ppb

Not detectedFDA bottled-water Standard of Quality, 21 CFR 165.110(b) — 0.005 mg/L

MercuryNDof 2 ppb

Not detectedFDA bottled-water Standard of Quality, 21 CFR 165.110(b) — 0.002 mg/L

Contaminants · 1

Includes lab tests of other products in its family

Similac Advance milk-based powder (GOS)

Worst result per contaminant across the family

In the family’s tests: measured by an independent lab and compared against published safety limits.

Arsenic4.6 ppbof 10 ppb

46% of the limitFDA bottled-water Standard of Quality, 21 CFR 165.110(b) — 0.010 mg/L (= EPA MCL)

Measured in: Advance OptiGro Infant Formula Powder

Ingredients · 52

GoodCautionAvoid

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Common questions

Is Similac Advance Infant Formula Powder healthy?

Similac Advance Infant Formula Powder scores 0/100 on Tallow — our avoid band. That number comes from what is on the label: the ingredients, how processed it is, and what it is packaged in, plus lab results from its product family, Similac Advance milk-based powder (GOS). It is not a verdict on your diet — Tallow does not weigh calories, portion size or how often you eat it, so a high score means the ingredients are clean, not that the food is unlimited.

What is in Similac Advance Infant Formula Powder?

Similac Advance Infant Formula Powder lists 52 ingredients, starting with Non Fat Milk, Lactose, High Oleic Safflower Oil, Whey Protein Concentrate and Soy Oil. Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight, so the first few make up most of what you are eating.

Does Similac Advance Infant Formula Powder contain seed oils?

Yes. Similac Advance Infant Formula Powder lists High Oleic Safflower Oil and Soy Oil in its ingredients.

How processed is Similac Advance Infant Formula Powder?

Similac Advance Infant Formula Powder is NOVA group 4: ultra-processed. That is the top of the scale and the classification the score penalises most heavily.

How does Similac Advance Infant Formula Powder compare to other infant formula?

At 0/100 Similac Advance Infant Formula Powder scores worse than most infant formula we have scored. A higher-scoring option in infant formula is Cerebelly Organic Spinach, Apple and Sweet Potato Baby Food at 97/100.

Is Similac Advance Infant Formula Powder organic?

Similac Advance Infant Formula Powder is not certified organic in our data.

Has Similac Advance Infant Formula Powder been lab tested?

Yes. 9 substances in Similac Advance Infant Formula Powder have a laboratory result on file — see the Contaminants section above for each reading and the limit it was measured against. Other products in its family (Similac Advance milk-based powder (GOS)), which share its base recipe, were lab tested too. This product is scored with the worst result for each contaminant across those tests. Their results are in the family's Contaminants section above.

Does Similac Advance Infant Formula Powder contain heavy metals?

Yes. A lab detected lead at 2 ppb against a 5 ppb limit in Similac Advance Infant Formula Powder. That reading is under its limit. It also tested for arsenic, cadmium and mercury and found none above its detection limit. Each reading is in the Contaminants section above. Other products in its family, which share its base recipe, were tested too: a lab detected arsenic at 4.6 ppb against a 10 ppb limit in Advance OptiGro Infant Formula Powder. This product is scored with the worst result for each contaminant across those tests.

Full methodology: how we score products.