Plant-Based Infants: 6 Brands Making Dairy-Free Baby Formula

Dairy-free baby formula is still a nascent category – but here are six brands making plant-based offerings to help mothers.

The infant formula market is massive, but it’s monopolised by dairy formulations and a handful of industry giants, like Abbott Nutrition and Danone. That has sent the industry on a rollercoaster ride recently – and not the good kind.

When Abbott shut its largest plant in February 2022 (which controlled a fifth of the entire American supply), it sparked one of the largest formula recalls in history. It brought about a formula shortage that the industry is still recovering from. With the volatility of supply chain logistics and the food system, this could happen again.

That is a problem for the many mothers who are unable to or don’t want to breastfeed. About 5-10% of women are physiologically unable to breastfeed, but many more say they’re not producing enough or have nutritional deficiencies in their milk. In the US alone, less than half of women continue to exclusively breastfeed after three months, and only a quarter keep doing so at six months, the recommended period by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

In a 2019 study of 552 mothers, 70% experienced breastfeeding difficulties (mostly within the first month) like “cracked nipples, perception of insufficient amount of milk, pain and fatigue”. These are just a few examples of why many choose to use formula.

But apart from the threat of shortages, 90% of formula products on the market are also dairy-based. This is a deterrent for mothers who don’t want to feed their babies cow’s milk, which doctors say could trigger allergies and intestinal bleeding.

While it’s stall a market in its infancy (excuse the pun), it’s set to expand by 7.8% annually until 2029, and some companies are catering to the growing demand for dairy-free baby formula. Here are six brands you can currently buy from.

Note: This list excludes formulas that are out of stock for the foreseeable future. We intended to include the Earth’s Best Non-GMO Plant Based Formula, but it no longer appears on its website, though there has been no word from the brand about the product’s discontinuation. Similarly, French brand BéBé M also appears to be out of stock indefinitely, so was excluded from this list.

Else Nutrition

Founded: 2011
Founders/parent company: Hamutal Yitzhak, Michael Azar and Uriel Kesler

Having raised a reported $56.5M, Canadian startup Else Nutrition is one of the leaders in this space, with a twin range of exclusively vegan formulas for toddlers. Unlike competitors that rely on soy and rice, Else uses ingredients like almond butter, buckwheat flour and tapioca maltodextrin in both its signature complete nutrition powder and the formula containing omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids for brain development.

The company’s products are Clean Label Certified, and made with over 90% organic, whole-food plant-based ingredients. Suitable for babies between 12 and 36 months, they contain all essential macronutrients like protein, healthy fats, carbohydrates and fibre, as well as over 20 vitamins and minerals.

Moreover, Else’s formula powders are free not just from dairy, but also soy, corn syrup, and gluten, making it ideal for babies with allergies. Mothers need to add four scoops to 8oz of lukewarm water in two batches, shaking vigorously each time, and they’re good to go.

Else has also penned a deal with Danone to manufacture white-label vegan formulas.

Else Nutrition’s dairy-free formula products can be found in Canada, the US, the UK and Australia.

Sprout Organic

Founded: 2019
Founders/parent company: Jen & Selasi Birdie

Based in Australia, Sprout Organic is a fully vegan brand as well. Its plant-based organic formula is made up of rice starch, rice protein and fermented pea protein, which lends the product a high protein digestiblity score and complete amino acid profile.

There’s an oil blend of coconut, canola and safflower in the product too, but since these are certified organic, they don’t go through chemical solvent extraction methods, and are instead cold-pressed. The three fats also ensure the product has all essential fatty acids.

Available in tins or pouches, this vegan formula is recommended for infants up to 12 months, and can be prepared by mixing each scoop with 50ml of water. It was also recently certified as a carbon-neutral business.

Sprout Organic’s dairy-free formula can be found in retailers across Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia, and is available internationally online.

Neocate

Founded: 1983
Founders/parent company: Danone

Neocate is a line of infant formula from Danone subsidiary Nutricia. Its Syneo Infant offering is a hypoallergenic dairy-free version with added prebiotics and probiotics, which is described as an industry-first.

The Neocate Syneo is based on a soy-free formulation built on amino acids, comprising corn syrup solids, refined vegetable oils (sunflower, canola and MCT), and naturally occurring oligosaccharides (containing oligofructose and inulin).

This product is specifically formulated for infants up to 12 months of age suffering from cow’s milk allergies, multiple food allergies, and related glycemic index and allergic conditions. The hypoallergenic nature of the formula has further been designed to support a balanced gut microbiota in food-allergic infants.

Nutricia’s Neocate Syneo Infant dairy-free formula can be found in the US and the UK.

Good Start

Founded: 1991
Founders/parent company: Nestlé

The Good Start Alsoy is Nestlé’s answer to plant-based formula (though in North America, the brand is operated by Perrigo). Available in powdered form, it contains soy protein isolate, corn maltodextrin, sucrose, and a blend of vegetable oils (palm olein, soybean, coconut, safflower and/or sunflower).

Suitable for babies from birth, Good Start Alsoy contains the recommended amount of DHA, an omega-3 fat that contributes to normal brain and eye development. It’s also fortified with iron, and each scoop can be diluted with 60ml of sterilised water.

But it’s important to note that soy-based formulas usually use lanolin, which is derived from sheep’s wool. Nestlé hasn’t confirmed whether its formula contains this ingredient. The company has additionally filed a patent for a potential plant-based formula in the UK.

Nestle’s Good Start Alsoy dairy-free formula can be found in retailers across Canada.

Enfamil

Founded: 1959
Founders/parent company: Mead Johnson

A Mead Johnson subsidiary, Enfamil’s non-dairy offering comes in the form of the ProSobee Simply Plant-Based infant formula. It is available in liquid, powdered and concentrated formats, and is suitable for infants up to 12 months old.

ProSobee is comprised of a base of soy protein, corn syrup, and a vegetable oil blend of palm olein, coconut and sunflower. It boasts vitamins A, C and E (among others) and selenium to boost the immune system, contains DHA, and is said to help ease fussiness and gas in sensitive tummies.

If you’re using the powder, each scoop should be mixed with 2oz of water and shaken. But since this is a soy-based formula, it may contain lanolin.

Enfamil’s ProSobee Simply Plant-Based formula can be found in retailers across the US.

Similac

Founded: 1925
Founders/parent company: Abbott Nutrition

Another soy-based formula comes from Abbott’s Similac brand, which retails its plant-based formula as Soy Isomil. The product contains no palm oil, instead opting for a mix of safflower, soy and coconut oils, alongside corn syrup and sugar.

Like the Nutricia Neocate formula, Soy Isomil also has prebiotics for digestive health, alongside DHA and lutein, which are found in breast milk and support brain and eye development, respectively. Moreover, it contains nucleotides that strengthen the immune system.

This formula is suitable for babies from birth. To use, mix each scoop with 2oz of water. But again, it uses soy protein isolate, and the vitamin D may be sourced from lanolin.

Similac’s Soy Isomil dairy-free formula can be found in retailers across the US and Canada.