New Bold Whole Milk Bet Starts

A can of powdered baby formula next to a feeding bottle with milk — WHOLE MILK BOMBSHELL

Abbott just put whole milk into a sterile, ready-to-feed infant formula and put it on U.S. shelves.

Story Snapshot

Abbott launched Similac 360 Total Care Made With Whole Milk as a sterile, ready-to-feed formula.
The company says it is priced per feeding like its powdered Similac 360 Total Care.
National outlets confirm the “first and only” whole-milk ready-to-feed claim in the U.S..
Whole milk is a long-used ingredient in formulas when balanced with needed fats and nutrients.

What Abbott Released, And Why It Matters

Abbott announced a new sterile, ready-to-feed infant formula made with whole milk, sold under the Similac 360 Total Care Made With Whole Milk brand. The company calls it the first and only product of its type in the United States at launch.

Abbott says the per-feeding price is similar to its existing Similac 360 Total Care powdered options and that the product is available online and at major retailers. Major news outlets repeated the “first and only” positioning based on Abbott’s statements.

Ready-to-feed formulas offer ease and reduce mixing errors. They also avoid water quality issues at home. Abbott’s choice to use whole milk in a sterile liquid is notable because sterile processing adds a safety layer over powder.

The company frames whole milk here as an ingredient choice, not a nutrition shortcut. Whole milk provides protein and milk fat, while other oils supply essential fats that infants need. This keeps the formula in line with modern nutrition targets.

Whole Milk In Infant Formula: What It Does And Does Not Mean

Whole milk in formula does not mean giving a baby straight cow’s milk. Straight cow’s milk alone is not complete nutrition for infants. Formula is different. It builds a full nutrition profile around a milk base.

The Food and Drug Administration’s record on whole milk as an ingredient notes a long history of safe use when part of a well-designed formula, while also stating that 100 percent whole milk alone is not appropriate as the sole nutrition for infants.

Abbott’s own nutrition explainer draws a simple line. Whole milk includes milk fat. Skim milk does not. Formulas using either still add other oils to meet essential fatty acid needs. Both can be nutritionally sound when built to infant standards.

The key question for parents is not “whole or skim” but whether the full blend meets the known needs for growth, digestion, and brain development. This product is part of Abbott’s 360 Total Care family, which targets those areas.

Price, Convenience, And The Post-Shortage Landscape

Abbott says the new ready-to-feed whole-milk formula is priced per feeding like its powdered counterpart. That claim matters for families who compare pennies per ounce at the shelf. Ready-to-feed cartons usually cost more than powder.

Positioning this product near powder on per-feeding cost seeks to remove price as a barrier. If retailers match that claim, expect higher trial and wider adoption among parents who value easy, no-mix bottles.

The launch also lands in a market that remembers the 2022 shortages and recalls. Abbott and the Food and Drug Administration entered into a consent decree in 2022 that established operational and compliance controls as the company worked to restore supply.

Today’s product is commercially sterile and liquid, unlike powdered formula production and handling. Parents who prize predictability and safety controls will see sterile, ready-to-feed as a practical hedge against mixing errors and water issues.

How To Decide If This Formula Fits Your Baby

Start with your baby’s age and your pediatrician’s guidance. If your infant tolerates cow’s milk protein and you want the ease of ready-to-feed, this product offers a new option. If your baby needs a specialty formula, stick with that plan unless your clinician recommends changing it.

Check the label for iron, fatty acids such as docosahexaenoic acid, and the human milk oligosaccharide prebiotic blend highlighted by the 360 line. Those are standard markers for well-rounded infant nutrition.

Abbott Laboratories will begin selling a new ready-to-feed version of its Similac infant formula Monday, marking the first time whole milk has been used in sterile liquid formula in the US https://t.co/aYNI389e7h

— Bloomberg (@business) August 31, 2026

Shop with a simple checklist. One, confirm it is the exact Similac 360 Total Care Made With Whole Milk ready-to-feed product. Two, compare the per-feeding price in your store against your current brand.

Three, buy in modest amounts at first to confirm tolerance and stool patterns. Parents do not need fancy rules here. Babies vote with their bellies. If feeding is calm, weight gain is on track, and your clinician is happy, you likely chose well.