DeLauro Statement on Perrigo Sale of Infant Formula Business to ByHeart Co-Founders’ New Company

Today, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) released a statement following an announcement from Perrigo that it will sell its infant formula business to MeridianMade, a new company founded and led by ByHeart co-founders Ron Belldegrun and Mia Funt:

"ByHeart was at the center of one of the most serious infant formula safety issues in recent memory. 48 babies across 17 states were sickened by ByHeart's formula , and every one of them hospitalized. ByHeart formula has since been discontinued. While FDA has traced the contamination to an ingredient in the supply chain, the exact origin of the bacteria remains unresolved and a root cause still has not been identified. Families still do not know how, when or exactly where their children's formula became contaminated.

"Our infant formula market is even more consolidated than it was at the time of the 2022 outbreak that left families going to Facebook Marketplace to feed their children. While I am grateful that infant formula giants Abbott and Mead Johnson are not acquiring Perrigo's formula business, I still have serious questions about this acquisition. Before they continue to expand, parents deserve answers. I will keep pressing for a full accounting of what went wrong, and of what is being done to prevent this from happening again.

"ByHeart discontinuing their formula does not mean our search for answers on safety stops. They have become even more pertinent with this announcement. I also fear the further consolidation in the infant formula market as we lose Perrigo as a manufacturer.

"The food we give babies should meet the highest standard of safety. I will always fight to ensure it does."

MeridianMade was founded in July 2026 to operate as an infant-focused contract manufacturing and nutrition platform. In October 2026, MeridianMade announced a major deal to acquire Perrigo's infant-formula business for up to $175 million to scale up its domestic manufacturing capabilities.