There’s a classic saying in the advertising industry: “Sell the sizzle, not the steak.”

Gerber’s “Good Start Protect Plus” baby formula commercial, shown in the video above, is an example. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Surgeon General advocates strongly for breastfeeding babies. I’m not criticizing Gerber’s product per se as an option for mothers and their babies, nor their right to market their products. How Gerber chose to market this product is my focus here – using science as a hook to consumers.

Sex, of course, is used to market virtually anything, because it gets people’s attention.

But science? “A scientific breakthrough!” heralds the Gerber commercial. It is not. It is a complex mixture of ingredients, ranging from partially hydrolyzed whey proteins (“comfort proteins”!) to bifudus cultures (Bifidobacterium lactis), typically found in yogurts, to DHA (docosahexaenoic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid) and ARA (arachidonic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid.) For decades, manufacturers have attempted to mimic breast milk to no avail.

{Interestingly, 20 seconds into the commercial a message appears at the bottom of the screen, grey font on a white background, stating “Gerber recommends breast milk as the best start for babies.” Isn’t the name of their product “Good Start Protect Plus”?} Perhaps a “Good Start” doesn’t trump a “Best Start.”

Since a six pack of 24 ounce cans costs about $126, such an option is limited to those families able to manage the expense within their budgets.

According to Gerber:

About COMFORT PROTEINS®

Not all infant formulas are alike. GOOD START milk-based formulas are the only formulas made with gentle 100% whey COMFORT PROTEINS.

Throughout your baby’s first year, her digestive system is still developing. That’s why we use our unique two-step process to make COMFORT PROTEINS, which are specially designed to be gentle on tiny tummies.

• Our unique process starts with 100% whey protein, the highest-quality protein available in infant formula.

• Then we break down this gentle whey protein into smaller, easy-to-digest COMFORT PROTEINS.

The Importance of Whey Protein

Just like moms, Nestlé goes to extra lengths for babies. Knowing that all babies’ digestive systems are still developing during the first year, we use our unique process to make our formula gentle on your baby’s tummy.

A key to that gentle formula is choosing the right protein from the very start. That’s why our unique process begins with 100% whey protein, the highest-quality protein available in infant formula. Unlike the protein in other routine formulas, the gentle 100% whey protein in GOOD START formulas doesn’t form curds in babies’ developing tummies.

Clinical evidence has shown that formula made with 100% whey partially hydrolyzed protein empties from babies’ tummies faster than other routine formulas, which may help reduce the potential for spitting up.

But it’s the diaper that tells the story best. The stools of babies on formulas with 100% whey partially hydrolyzed protein tend to be softer, more like those of breastfed infants.

There are relatively few published scientific and medical studies on partially hydrolyzed whey proteins. In one study, Australian researchers asked whether baby formulas containing hydrolyzed whey protein could be useful for the prevention of allergy and food intolerance in infants. Their conclusion:

There is no evidence to support feeding with a hydrolysed formula for the prevention of allergy compared to exclusive breast feeding.

Claims of benefits of bifudus are questionable, and the American Academy of Pediatrics cautions that it is unclear whether the potential health benefits of probiotic formula continue after formula feeding is stopped.

While this is not a comprehensive review of the scientific and medical literature on the components of Gerber’s baby formula, these studies are representative. I invite readers to post any published peer-reviewed studies that support, or challenge, Gerber’s claims.

According to Dr. Shahla Wunderlich, Professor of Nutrition and Food Science at Montclair State University:

…the good start formula commercial is misleading and is not supported by long term studies. Mother’s milk cannot be formulated commercially. When you add many chemicals to the formula, by no means can compete with mother nature. So all these claims are nothing but claims, all are for marketing purposes.

{Regarding} “comfort proteins” {I have} never seen it in nutrition textbooks.

We should encourage mothers to breast feed babies and to be less dependent on the commercial formulas.

…{It is} a good marketing plan for Nestle. I wonder if they have a comparison studies?
Breaking the natural proteins does not exactly mimics breastmilk. For years babies thrived on mother’s milk. Processing the proteins in the milk does not necessary make them better.