Nestlé SA has responded to a letter from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that said its Good Start baby formula milk product did not conform to FDA rules.

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The Swiss manufacturer remains confident that the formula is compliant after conducting its own tests.


Nestlé spokesperson François Perroud told just-food: “We have two independent labs testing the formula, and they have decided that the formula was totally compliant with standards.”


According to the FDA’s letter, dated 27 November, an inspection took place at Nestlé’s Eau Claire site in Wisconsin in May 2006, where samples were taken by FDA inspectors and analysed.


The FDA said that the samples’ levels of calcium and phosphorus did not meet the minimum requirements and were less than that indicated on the label.

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The FDA told Nestlé it had a 15-day period on receipt of the letter to “correct the noted violations and to prevent their reoccurrence.”


However, Nestlé has since carried out its own independent analyses of the product in two laboratories, which showed levels did meet requirements.


“We are discussing this presently with the FDA to find out what happened. This is clearly something that we do not want to be left, we need to find out why tests by the FDA are not consistent with our independent lab tests,” Perroud added.

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