What is Nonfat Dry Milk?

Nonfat dry milk is made by removing the water from pasteurized skim milk. Skim milk is very low in fat, less than 1%, therefore nonfat dry milk provides protein and carbohydrate to infant formula. It also provides micronutrients like calcium, and phosphorus. Most companies use nonfat milk or organic nonfat milk ingredients in their standard infant formulas.

Regulations and Safety

Nonfat dry milk is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the US FDA. The European Food Safety Authority references “intact milk protein” in its statement about protein in infant formulas, which refers to nonfat milk.

Dietary Considerations

Nonfat dry milk is not appropriate for vegans since it comes from fluid milk. It is acceptable for vegetarians who drink milk (lacto-vegetarians). The OU (Orthodox Union) Kosher considers many infant formulas as OU-D, kosher dairy, but not kosher for Passover. Since nonfat dry milk is derived from fluid milk it is not Cholov Yisroel unless specifically certified as such. For reference, see the Orthodox Union Kosher Dairy Primer.