Breastfeeding is the gold standard for infant feeding, but some mothers
are unable to breastfeed for a variety of reasons. For these mothers, it is
important to have a safe alternative. Goat milk has been used for many
centuries, but although goat milk formula has been used extensively in
other countries for many years, in the UK it has been the tradition to use
cows’ milk infant formula. In 2013, in England, the Infant Formula and
Follow-on Formula Regulations were amended to allow the use of goat
milk as a source of protein in formula milks from March 2014. Compared
to cows’ milk, goat milk has more similarities to human milk. The
evidence-base demonstrates that the health and nutritional outcomes of
babies fed a whole goat milk (80: 20) formula were equivalent to those of
babies fed a whey-based (60: 40) cows’ milk formula. Further, because
goat milk forms softer, looser casein curds in the infant stomach, goat
milk formula has certain digestibility benefits over cows’ milk formula.
Although goat milk formula can be either made with whole milk or
whey-adjusted, there is no evidence to suggest any benefit in adding
whey to goat milk formula. As a result, goat milk formula is not only a
safe alternative but also has some advantages over cows’ milk formula.
Keywords: Goat milk formula, Cows’ milk formula, Infant feeding