Did you know that not all baby formulas are the same?!

Here at Kendamil, we pride ourselves on being a family-run business, putting families first in every decision we make. It’s our top priority to educate and inform fellow mums, dads and caregivers along their baby's feeding journey. Whether it be breastfeeding, combination feeding or bottle feeding, we’re always here to lend a helping hand, because we genuinely believe being informed is best!

When buying baby formula, decide what’s best for YOU

For parents who choose to supplement with follow-on formula, you may be wondering “What’s the best follow-on formula milk for my baby?”. Every family will vary in terms of what they prioritise when it comes to choosing a formula for their baby and often baby might not react well to a certain brand of formula when others thrive on it - every baby is different. What is also important to know is that every formula in the UK follows the same strict guidance on nutritional contents for example the amount of protein or the amount of fats must all be the same, therefore all from a nutritional aspect formulas are similar. What does vary is the source of ingredients, the company’s ethos and priorities as well as some slight differences in nutritional properties. This means choosing the right follow-on formula comes down to doing all the research you can beforehand.

The best way to do this is to make yourself familiar with baby formula ingredients - ones that should be prioritised, because they’ve been proven beneficial in the long run and others that have no business being in your baby’s milk!

So, when you’re considering which baby formula to buy for your little one, we recommend covering the following basis’:

🤔 What ingredients are present within the formula?
🐮 Does the formula contain whole milk?
🛒 Is your chosen formula widely available including via subscription?
💰 Is the formula cost-effective?

These are the staple questions we’ll cover. So, don’t panic. We’re going to highlight the nitty-gritty of what you should be keeping a lookout for.

🍼 Not all farms are the same: Quality of milk

The treatment and diet of an animal affects the quality of the milk it produces. Many studies have shown that grass-fed cows who are able to graze in the fields produce milk higher in certain nutrients than cattle who are mainly fed indoors. Not only is grass-fed milk a lot sweeter, but it’s higher in omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin E and also contains more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).

Not all formulas use whole milk

Here at Kendamil we are the only brand in the UK that uses Whole Milk as the primary ingredient in our formula recipe. Why are we so obsessed with Whole Milk? Whole Milk provides an important source of fat, where most other brands use 100% vegetable oils for the fat source in their recipes, including oils such as Palm Oil.

Most formulas available in the UK use skimmed milk powder instead of whole milk. There are also a number of naturally occurring nutrients that are retained by using Whole Milk rather than just skimmed milk powder. Cows milk contains naturally occurring Milk Fat Globule Membranes (MFGM), a complex mixture of fats, proteins and carbohydrates that forms a protective layer around the fat globules in milk. It is uniquely found in mammalian milk, including breastmilk, and by using whole milk, we’re able to retain this in our formula.

On top of all this, using Whole Milk is what gives our baby milk its creamier texture and richer flavour.

Here’s how we put in the work:

We source our cow’s milk from local family farms close to our factory in the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales, blending these wholesome milk fats with essential fatty acids like linoleic & alpha-linolenic fatty acids.
All our cow’s milk comes from Red Tractor certified farms, which guarantees the whole milk in the Kendamil products you buy has been responsibly sourced, safely produced and the cows have been well cared for. The Red Tractor organisation has some of the most rigorous standards globally, which is why British milk is some of the best in the world.
And our cows are really happy up North because the regular rainfall makes the nutrient-rich grass grow plentiful!!
Fresh liquid milk is delivered to our factory here in Kendal daily where it then undergoes various quality checks by our Quality Assurance team. The team checks the delivery temperature, tests % fat, % protein and checks for any water contamination and any other residues, to make sure the milk is nice and safe!

🌴 The benefits of a palm oil-free formula

Palm oil is a leading cause of deforestation. Lowering palm oil production can lead to lower levels of deforestation and lower levels of greenhouse gas emissions It can also prevent the destruction of natural habitats which is endangering the lives of many species. As well as all these environmental reasons to avoid formula that contains Palm Oil, it’s been shown in some studies to have an impact on baby’s digestion. Which is why Kendamil never has and never will use Palm Oil in any of our products.

🐟 The benefits of a fish oil-free formula

The over-harvesting of fish has led to a dangerous rise in environmental issues and fish oil has been traditionally used as part of most infant formulas to provide a much needed source of DHA. We don’t use fish oil in any of our products, instead we source our DHA from algae, which means our formula remains vegetarian also. Kendamil formula is currently the only formula available in the UK that is certified vegetarian by the Vegetarian Society. Not only is all this great for the little fishies, but because we don’t use fish oil in our recipe you don’t get that off-putting fish smell that you can often catch a whiff of with other formula brands.

🛒 Wherever you live and however you shop, Kendamil is available

Accessibility and convenience is paramount for families with young babies as you have enough to worry about without a scavenger hunt to find your baby’s formula. This is why Kendamil has focused so much on making sure our formulas are easily accessible to everyone no matter how you choose to shop. Whether you live deep in the countryside or you love to do all your shopping online you’re able to shop Kendamil however it suits your family’s lifestyle and routine.

You can easily set up a subscription on our website to have your formula delivered monthly to your door hassle-free and with free delivery. Or you can find us in over 6000 stores across the UK. We’re available in all major supermarkets: Tesco, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Asda and Iceland. We’re also available in many other stores such as Superdrug, Boots, Savers and more. Run out and need an emergency top-up? We’re available in your local Tesco Metro, Co-op or Sainsbury’s Local. So whatever is your preferred way to shop, whether it be on foot or with the click of a button online, we’re there to take one less thing off your plate.

🇬🇧🐮 How is Kendamil different from other formula brands?

Kendamil is lovingly crafted in the English Lake District, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (and home to Peter Rabbit and Postman Pat)! It isn't always sunny (or dry!) over here - but we don’t mind because it creates the perfect climate for our happy cows and organic farms.

We manufacture our cow’s milk formula in the UK (which is home to the Red Tractor seal and some of the world’s highest food safety and animal welfare standards). This ensures the complete traceability of our ingredients. Not only are we inclusive of vegetarian diets by using plant-sourced DHA as our omega-3, but we’re also Halal, palm oil-free and fish oil-free! Our classic range is also Kosher. When it comes to our Organic range we work with Organic farms who are certified Organic by the Soil Association.

With 60 years of experience, we’ve perfected our award-winning recipe. And we’ve done so by being kind, traceable and 100% true to our roots.

🤔 What are Kendamil’s unique features?

Succinctly put, we’re all about providing families with quality ingredients at a fair price. We take our ingredients from farm to formula within 10 hours.. So when you choose Kendamil, you’re choosing: