Wal-Mart launches 'affordable' DHA infant formula

Leading retailer Wal-Mart has launched a DHA-enriched version of its private label infant formula Parent's Choice. Wal-Mart's Parent's Choice infant formula line is made by Wyeth Nutritionals, a business unit of Wyeth.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently allowed the addition of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (ARA), two important long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids found naturally in mother's milk, to infant formula. Several leading infant nutrition companies have also launched new products containing the fatty acids this year.

DHA and ARA have long been recognized as important building blocks of the brain and eye. Studies have demonstrated a significant, quantifiable improvement in brain and eye development that is attributed to these fatty acids. There are also a number of studies indicating that breastfed babies may have a mental and visual advantage over bottle-fed babies. This evidence led to the FDA decision to allow the inclusion of the fatty acids in infant formula this spring.

The Parent's Choice with Lipids formula, initially announced at the American Academy of Pediatrics annual meeting in October, is being billed as an affordable alternative for the new, promising formulas on the market.

With annual sales of $218 billion, Wal-Mart Stores​ operates more than 2,800 discount stores, Supercenters and Neighborhood Markets, and more than 510 SAM'S CLUBS in the United States.