Abbott Laboratories is being sued over what the American Academy of Pediatrics says is a “questionable marketing” practice with how it sells formula for infants and toddlers.
The lawsuit was filed Tuesday by the Public Health Advocacy Institute, a nonprofit legal research center at the Northeastern University School of Law, accusing Abbott of misleading parents and caregivers about the nutritional value of its sugar-filled toddler milk.
The milk in question is marketed for consumption by kids ages 12 to 36 months, and the lawsuit says they are portrayed as the next step for children once they have outgrown infant formulas. However, the suit says this isn’t the case.
Unlike the baby formula that Abbott sells, the toddler milk products are not regulated by the FDA and are potentially harmful to the children drinking them, according to PHAI.
Despite the concerns, the lawsuit from PHAI says that sales of toddler milk have averaged more than $500 million a year.
George Fuchs, a medical doctor and professor of pediatric gastroenterology at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine Department of Pediatrics, led a report on toddler milks for the American Academy of Pediatrics.
He shared that the milk is not only “unnecessary,” but it “can actually be harmful to a child’s nutritional health.”
“The added sugars can increase a toddler’s preference for sweetened foods, contributing to obesity and other health risks throughout their lives,” Fuchs said.
The suit alleges that Abbott labels the milk, known as “Go & Grow Toddler Drink by Similac,” like its FDA-regulated infant formulas and are sold on the same shelves.
The milk is also labeled as “Stage 3,” which the suit says implies they are the next product recommended for toddlers after “Stage 1” infant formula and “Stage 2” transitional formula.
Recommendations from the AAP are that children older than 12 months be given water and plain cow’s milk.
Abbott has responded to the lawsuit, telling CBS News that they are “without merit.”
“Abbott’s representations of its toddler nutrition products are accurate, and our claims are well-supported,” the company said in a statement to the outlet.