One of the best lessons I’ve learned when I became a mother, is about the power of choice. From the moment I learned that I will become a parent, I knew I had to make not only the right-- but the best choices for my child.
The media is a very influential tool that companies use to encourage the public to buy their products. They spend a lot on image promotion and most people fall prey to the fancy, colorful and almost magical advertisements copywriters whip up in their storyboards. As a Communication Arts graduate, I learned that sometimes companies launch multiple kinds of the same product with the same formula, but packaged differently and endorsed separately to create a specific need for various target markets, while maximizing shelf space as well.
It’s easy to believe guarantees and promises on TV, especially if a movie star vouches for a product. But as wise consumers, we should always read the label and learn to compare. Not all expensive and branded products are necessarily always of the best quality. Why not try to look for a low-priced counterpart first, before parting with your hard-earned cash?
When a major recall was recently made by Abott Laboratories because of a suspected presence of beetles or larvae in certain lots of Similac powdered baby formula, a lot of parents panicked. Accidents like this do happen to the best of companies. And in times like this, the next best thing is to find the closest alternative product that is equally nutritious and fits quality standards. It’s comforting to know that store brand formula is available in the market and being sold at retailers including Walmart, Sam’s Club, Target, Kroger, Walgreens, CVS, and Babies “R” Us.
Why switch to generic formula? Simply because, apart from enabling consumers to set aside a hefty chunk of savings that can be spent for other baby needs, just like its more expensive counterparts, it is also subject to the same exacting standards of the FDA pursuant to the Infant Formula Act. Try to check the labels of Parent’s Choice Advantage™ Infant Formula and Similac Advance and you will be surprised to see that they contain the same nutrients like Prebiotics, DHA and ARA.
To switch or not to switch? Why worry, when you have the power to choose wisely?
