Pfizer Nutrition, formerly Wyeth Nutrition, is part of Pfizer Inc. We develop premium-quality nutritional products that are scientifically designed to help meet the needs of infants and young children, as well as pregnant and lactating mothers.
Since our products are widely available, we use our global presence and scale to help make a nutritional difference in the lives of the consumers we support. We often collaborate with governments, local communities and health care providers on ways to improve the state of pediatric nutrition. We additionally seek new partnerships that help advance the nutritional health of babies and mothers wherever we conduct business.
We recognize the importance of proper and available pediatric nutrition to the growing infant and child. Poor nutrition is a challenge worldwide and contributes to many broader issues brought on by the lack of education, poverty and social injustice.
Pfizer Nutrition supports international health policies and government initiatives aimed at providing global health care and adequate nutrition to save lives, including the Millennium Development Goals, Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding, The World Health Organization International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes (WHO Code) and WHO Child Growth Standards.
The reach of Pfizer Nutrition spans the globe. Our products are available in more than 60 countries. We have manufacturing facilities located in China, Ireland, Mexico, the Philippines, and Singapore.
The company's Corporate Headquarters, as well as Global Headquarters for Research and Development, are located in Madison, New Jersey, USA.
Pfizer Nutrition's commitment to advancing the nutritional health of babies began in the early 1900s, when many infants were dying from unsanitary conditions and infectious diseases. These poor health conditions inspired Dr. Henry John Gerstenberger to develop the first physiologic formula (Synthetic Milk Adapted or SMA) designed to enable non-breastfed infants to survive.
The SMA brand still exists today.
Our Company's dedication to research and development has led to many first-in-class product innovations, ranging from the most fundamental to the most advanced product innovations. For example, few are aware that in the 1950s we were the first infant formula manufacturer to put an expiry date on formula.
Our scientists continue to focus on identifying beneficial nutrients that provide only the best possible nutrition for infants —what every parent wants to give their children. That's why we have designed the unique Pfizer Biofactors System™ — an integrated approach to formulating products with the right quantity of high quality nutrients working in concert to help support optimal health, growth and development at each specific stage of life. Parents will see the Pfizer Biofactors System™ on our GOLD line of products.
Take a look at our history:
1910 Dr. Gerstenberger begins to develop an infant formula based on human milk.
1918 Extensive clinical studies at a Cleveland, Ohio, hospital establish SMA (Synthetic Milk Adapted) as a successful feeding alternative for infants.
1921 First commercial production and distribution of SMA.
1933 An industry first: carotene added in amounts equal to those in human milk.
1942 Iron is added in an amount sufficient to satisfy the infant's requirements.
1956 An industry first: improvements to labeling and packaging include an expiration date.
1961 An industry first: infant formula with a whey-to-casein ratio similar to that of human milk.
1971 An industry first: a fat blend resembling the fatty acid profile of human milk.
1989 An industry first: addition of nucleotides on a global basis, which support immunity.
1993 Launch of PROGRESS, an iron-rich, milk-based supplement that helps prevent anemia in children between the ages of one and three years.
1996 Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids from pure vegetable sources added to low-birth weight formulas (S-26 LBW) and the launch of AR, an anti-regurgitation formula, in several countries.
1997 Introduction of S-26 HMF, a fortifier for low birth weight babies fed expressed breast milk. Also the introduction of a lactose-free (LF) formula for babies with lactose intolerance.
1998 An industry first: launch of a premium, whey-dominant infant formula enriched with AA and DHA from pure vegetable sources, as well as physiologic amounts of five nucleotides, natural mixed carotenoids, selenium and iron.
2002 An industry first: an infant formula rich in alpha-lactalbumin (alpha-protein), the predominant whey protein in human milk.
2010 The company introduces its new Pfizer Biofactors System™ in the GOLD line of formula. This scientific approach is designed to provide high quality nutrients and ingredients in the right levels working together in harmony to help support optimal health, growth, and development of infants and children in areas of Mental and Visual, Physical Growth, Digestion and Immunity.
2011 Pfizer Nutrition launches illuma, an ultra-premium line in select markets. These products contain a prebiotic called oligofructose and structured lipids for good digestion, along with new packaging.
At Pfizer Nutrition, safety and quality are our highest priorities. Infant formulas are among the most stringently regulated consumer products in the world. We meet or exceed all food quality and safety standards set by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and comply with all regulations in the countries where we operate.
Codex is a body run jointly by the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization. www.codexalimentarius.net
Our systematic approach to food safety and quality affects every stage of the production process: from ingredient procurement to production to packaging. We bring to the manufacture of nutritionals the same diligence and attention to detail used in pharmaceutical production, striving for total consumer confidence in our products.
We are industry leaders with:
State-of-the-art manufacturing facilities and expertly trained employees
Our manufacturing facilities are ISO (International Organization for Standardization) certified — a designation from an internationally recognized accrediting body that signifies procedural and manufacturing excellence.
Rigorous production protocols
All components, from ingredients to packaging materials, are tested by our suppliers to ensure consistency with the highest quality and safety standards.
We follow a strict policy of using only non-genetically modified (GMO) ingredients in our infant formulas. All suppliers of soy or maize-based ingredients provide either identity-preserved certification or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing that is conducted independently and renewed on a biennial basis, to meet regulatory requirements.
Quality assurance systems include Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP), which is endorsed by Codex and the U.S. FDA.
We code our products so that we can trace them back to the exact date, time and place of production.
We conduct regular surveillance of our products to minimize the risk of contaminants.
Continual investment in cutting-edge technologies
We investigate alternative packaging options that may provide additional consumer value and safety features.
Close collaboration with government health authorities and consumers
We work in close partnership with international and national regulators to ensure and promote food safety standards.
We respond quickly to any safety or quality concerns that might arise.
We provide "care lines," where permitted by local regulations, to answer parents' or consumers' questions.
Pfizer Nutrition has always recognized that breast milk represents the ideal nutrition for newborns. A statement to this effect was issued in 1955 and Pfizer Nutrition infant formula labels have carried a "breast is best" notice since 1975.*
The World Health Organization International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes (WHO Code) was adopted in May 1981. Three years prior to that, Pfizer Nutrition had already instituted ethical marketing practices for infant formulas to ensure that its activities did not discourage breast-feeding and also established a central review committee to approve marketing materials produced by Pfizer Nutrition affiliates.
Since the Code's adoption, Pfizer Nutrition has acted to ensure that its marketing practices for infant formula products reflect the aim and principles of the WHO Code. Periodic audits are conducted in individual countries and Pfizer Nutrition staff receive ongoing training.
In the years following the adoption of the WHO Code, most countries enacted some form of local code based on the WHO Code. Many of these codes have more stringent provisions than the original WHO Code. Pfizer Nutrition's policy is to abide by the national legislation or codes wherever they exist.
Today there are local codes in place in all markets where Pfizer Nutrition has a nutritional business. There are local code monitoring committees in several countries; some governments require pre-clearance of any marketing material before they are used.
Pfizer Nutrition will always support breast-feeding and remains committed to marketing infant formulas in an ethical manner consistent with the aim and principles of the WHO Code and national legislation that governs infant formula marketing practices.
*By definition, "infant formula" is a product fed as the sole source of nutrition for the first 4 to 6 months of life.
