Questions about the ÖKO-Test

Please rest assured, all our baby formula products, including the specific Aptamil products mentioned in the ÖKO-TEST report, are safe. Mineral oil residues are not present in our baby formulas and this has been re-confirmed by independent analytical tests.

You can be confident in the quality and safety of all our baby formula products because:

• We never use mineral oil in any of our recipes
• For several years now we’ve had in place strict quality monitoring programs that go beyond what’s required by current legislation in order to prevent mineral oil residues entering our products at any stage of our manufacturing process
• We demand the same strict quality and safety control processes from all our suppliers who must prove that they meet our requirements in order to be approved as one of our suppliers
• All our baby formula products undergo over 600 quality and safety checks before being released for sale
• Furthermore, we’ve had more than 400 different baby formula products independently tested over the last two years for the presence of mineral oil residues. All testing has confirmed that mineral oil residues are not present in our baby formulas

All our baby formula products, including the specific Aptamil* products mentioned in the ÖKO-TEST report, are safe. Mineral oil residues are not present in our baby formulas and this has been re-confirmed by independent analytical tests.

We take any allegation regarding the safety of our products extremely seriously. That’s why we asked the independent laboratory, Swiss Quality Testing Services (SQTS), to re-test the products featured in the ÖKO-TEST report. These tests reconfirmed there are no mineral oil residues in our baby formulas.

We strongly contest these test results and are disappointed that ÖKO-TEST has unnecessarily unsettled parents. However, working collaboratively and transparently is important to us. We have invited ÖKO-TEST to share more detail on their methodology and testing results so we can better understand their findings. 

The health of babies is our number one priority and Aptamil Pronutra Pre is safe. You can be confident in the safety of all our baby formula products because:

• We never use mineral oil in any of our recipes
• For several years now we’ve had in place strict quality monitoring programs that go beyond what’s required by current legislation in order to prevent mineral oil residues entering our products at any stage of our manufacturing process
• We demand the same strict quality and safety control processes from all our suppliers.
• All our baby formula products undergo over 600 quality and safety checks before being released for sale
• Specifically, on mineral oil residues, we’ve had more than 400 different baby formula products independently tested over the last two years. All testing has confirmed that mineral oil residues are not present in our baby formulas. 

Mineral oils or Mineral Oil Hydrocarbons (MOH) are derived mainly from crude oil, but also sometimes produced synthetically from coal and natural gas. 

These are types of mineral oils. MOAH stands for Mineral Oil Aromatic Hydrocarbons and MOSH stands for Mineral Oil Saturated Hydrocarbons (MOSH). 

POSH stands for Polyolefin Oligomeric Saturated Hydrocarbons, which is a type of MOSH.

To reassure you, all our baby formula products are safe. Mineral oil residues are not present in our baby formulas; this has been re-confirmed by independent analytical tests and we take all measures to prevent such substances from entering our products.

According to EU health authorities, some forms of mineral oils, such as MOAH, can be harmful to health. The long-term health effects of exposure to MOSH are not yet clear and public health authorities and the scientific community continue to investigate the long-term impacts of exposure to MOSH.

Mineral oil residues could potentially get into food through certain types of food packaging or from lubricants in machines used in the production process.

Mineral oil residues are not present in our baby formulas and this has been re-confirmed by independent analytical tests. For several years now we’ve had in place strict quality monitoring programs that go beyond what’s required by current legislation in order to prevent mineral oil residues entering our products at any stage of our manufacturing process.

We take all measures to prevent such substances from entering our products:

• Our baby formulas: we never use mineral oil in any of our recipes.
• Our packaging suppliers: To prevent mineral oil residues entering our products, we also set strict technical specifications for our ingredients and packaging suppliers, who must prove they meet our requirements in order to be approved as one of our suppliers. All material that is in contact with our products is systematically tested by expert independent laboratories to check they meet our high standards.
• Our production processes: All lubricating oils used in our factories are safe for use (these are known as ‘food grade oils’). We also require all our suppliers to prove to us that they apply the same standard in their production sites. 

Several years ago, we put strict quality monitoring programs in place that go beyond what’s required by current legislation to prevent mineral oil residues entering our products at any stage of our manufacturing process. We demand the same strict quality and safety control processes from all our suppliers.

All our baby formula products undergo over 600 quality and safety checks before they are made available for sale. Specifically, on mineral oil residues, we’ve had more than 400 different baby formula products independently tested over the last two years. All testing has confirmed that mineral oil residues are not present in our baby formulas. 

We work with well-known, independent labs, such as Swiss Quality Testing Services (SQTS), that test for the presence of mineral oil residues. This involves tests to differentiate between harmful compounds and harmless ingredients – such as vegetable or fish oils or milk fats – which, if not carefully tested, can be wrongly identified as mineral oil residues.