Kendamil Now Available At Costco Canada

February 21st, 2024

For months, moms and dads have been asking when Kendamil formula was going to land in Canada. Behind the scenes we’ve been working closely with the team at Health Canada and we’re so excited to finally have our award-winning formula on shelf at Costco and available to families across Canada.

Want to learn a bit more about Kendamil? Here’s everything you need to know:

What Makes Kendamil Special 

First thing to know about Kendamil is that we’re a family-run business. Unlike most formula brands, we are 100% family-owned and operated, meaning we put your family first - because we are one! Kendamil never compromises on the quality of our ingredients and within the company you’ll find a very passionate team of parents who have worked in the infant formula industry for many years. 

So what makes our recipe unique and why are parents across the globe raving about our formula?

We Follow European Standards

• Kendamil meets both EU and Health Canada nutritional standards and regulations set out to make sure that infant formula is safe and contains all the necessary ingredients and nutrition a formula-fed baby needs. This means that when it comes to ingredient composition, levels of vitamins, minerals and other required ingredients for growth and development, Kendamil has been approved for sale in Canada. 

We Use Whole Milk

• Kendamil is proudly made with whole milk and therefore contains naturally occurring MFGM (Milk Fat Globule Membranes).
• Whole milk provides a natural source of fat, a key component in breastmilk and by using whole milk we can lower the quantity of oil in our formula. There are also a number of naturally occurring nutrients that are retained from using whole milk, MFGM being one of them. MFGM is a complex mixture of fats, proteins and carbohydrates that form a protective layer around the fat globules in milk. Some studies have shown that MFGM may have a positive effect on your baby’s immune system and even cognitive development.

The Importance Of HMOs And Prebiotics (GOS & FOS) 

• GOS (galacto-oligosaccharides) and FOS (fructo-oligosaccharides) are prebiotics and an essential food source for a baby's gut microbiome. HMOs (Human Milk Oligosaccharides), naturally found in breast milk, also play a vital role in the gut, protecting the gut lining. 
• Prebiotics help your baby develop a healthy gut by feeding the beneficial bacteria in the GI tract. Studies have shown that more gut microbiota in the intestinal tract means better immunity, stronger metabolism, less inflammation and, with recent research, better brain function. HMOs shape an infant’s gut microbiota and help to modulate the ‘neonatal immunity in the infant gut’. 

Kendamil Avoids All Nasties 

• Kendamil prides itself on using the highest quality, natural ingredients, something we will never compromise on. This is why you will never find palm oil or syrups such as corn syrup solids in our ingredients list. We also avoid GMOs and our recipe is gluten free.
• By using whole milk we avoid having to rely on 100% vegetable oils to make up the needed levels of essential fatty acids; this means we’re able to avoid the use of palm oil, which has been linked to digestive issues in babies - not to mention the damage palm oil wrecks upon our environment. Kendamil also does not add syrups to our products. Why? Research has identified early exposure to syrups could affect eating behaviours later in life.

Why We Include DHA 

• Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), is an essential fatty acid, often found in fatty fish such as salmon, tuna and mackerel and also found in breast milk. Our DHA is plant-based – meaning it is taken from algae, the very source from which fish get their omega 3 fatty acids! By using a plant-based alternative we can avoid the use of fish oil, fish allergens and overfishing of our oceans. Kendamil is proud to include some of the highest levels of DHA globally, in accordance with European standards.
• DHA plays an important role in early infant development. There have been many studies on the benefits of adding DHA to infant formula and some studies have shown that DHA can support eye health and vision as well as support cognitive development and positively affect immune responses. 

Where To Find Kendamil

You can now purchase Kendamil Classic infant formula in selected stores at Costco Canada. To find your nearest Costco Canada stockist click here. 

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How Does Kendamil Compare To Other Formulas Sold At Costco In Canada?

What's The Difference Between Kendamil Sold In The US And Canada?

Kendamil products are proudly European-made, meaning all our products meet strict EU standards; however, every country will have their own guidelines and regulations that all food products must meet in order to be sold in that country. Food products in the US are regulated by the FDA and in Canada they are regulated by Health Canada. 

In every country that Kendamil is sold we must comply with those specific labeling, food, and safety regulations set out by the country. But rest assured, our recipe will always comply with EU guidelines on infant formula, which represent some of the strictest standards in the world. Nevertheless, you may notice minor differences in the presentation of information on the label (for example the ingredients panel or the nutrition fact panel) due to local requirements. 

The Kendamil Classic can you will find at Costco in Canada is proudly made in Europe and will look very similar to the can you’ll find on the shelves in US stores. If you pick up a can of Kendamil Classic at Walmart in Canada you’ll see we have adapted this label to reflect the local requirements set out by Health Canada, so you will see some variation in how the information is presented on the label, as well as noting that it is written in both English and French. 

Why have we not updated the Costco Canada label? 

We’ve been working closely with Health Canada to make our baby formula available to as many parents in Canada as quickly as possible. With recent formula shortages worrying families, Health Canada is doing everything they can to make sure more baby formula that meets their standards is available to Canadian parents as quickly and safely as possible. The formula inside our Kendamil cans is our signature award-winning recipe (also found today on US shelves), but we will be updating the label later this year to reflect the requirements of Health Canada - so the information on the Costco can will soon look similar to that on the Walmart can and it will be in dual language too. 

Let’s take a closer look at our Costco Canada label:

• On the left side of the label you’ll see our European icon. This reflects Kendamil’s unique European footprint, heritage and community. 
• If you look at the back of the label, you might see a U.S. address for distribution. Do note that this is not related to production location. All Kendamil products are proudly made in Europe whether at our Kendal headquarters or our other European facilities and you can always check the country of origin on the base of the can. Wherever Kendamil is made, it is made to our unique recipe and every batch is quality checked by our Kendal team.
• Always follow the feeding guidelines on the formula label on formula purchased in your country and follow formula preparation guidelines set out by your country. You can check Canadian guidance here.

What’s the difference between the Walmart can and the Costco can?

Good question! 

Firstly, the Walmart Kendamil Classic can is 800g and the Costco Kendamil Classic can is 1,049kg. The instructions and information on the Costco Canada can are only in English (as explained above), while the information and feeding guidance on the Walmart Canada can is in both French and English. The Costco can also has a different lid to the Walmart can which means the scoop is found in the formula, whereas the scoop in the Walmart can is positioned in the lid.

• The front label design is also slightly different - you won’t find our typical HMOs and MFGM icons on the Walmart Canada label. That doesn’t mean we have removed them from the recipe; it’s because the EU, FDA, and Health Canada have different regulations about what benefits we can promote on the label. Our Costco Canada label has been reviewed by Health Canada and will resemble the Walmart Canada dual language label in the near future.
• The feeding guide follows the metric system like that of the UK and Europe using kg, ml and grams. This is different to the Costco Canada can, which includes the US system (for example, fl. oz.). Our Costco Canada label has been reviewed by Health Canada and will resemble the Walmart Canada dual language label in the near future. 
• The Nutritional Values (Nutrition Fact Panel) on the Walmart can is adapted for Canadian measurements.
  
  
• You may notice that the nutrition facts panel looks different on the Costco Canada can because the Walmart Canada can has been updated to meet the guidelines of Health Canada. Canadian nutritional values are measured per / 100g and per / 100ml, whereas the Costco Canada can has US nutritional values, which are measured per / 100 calories for a 5 fl oz prepared bottle. This is just a difference in labeling guidelines; the nutritional values do not change. 

• The Ingredients Panel on the Walmart Canada can also has some differences to layouts and naming conventions to comply with Health Canada regulations. 
  
  
• Like other countries, you will see a slight reordering of ingredients vs the US can and the Costco can. For instance, skimmed milk follows whole milk on the Walmart label, but sits after lactose on the US and Costco label. Do note that the amount of the ingredient is the same across both products in Walmart Canada and Costco Canada.
• Following our announcement in December, you’ll see we use Iron Pyrophosphate in our Kendamil Classic formula.
• Canada uses the same naming of DHA and ARA as the UK does:
  
  
• Oil from the microalgae Schizochytrium sp.
• Mortierella Alpina Oil
• One ingredient you’ll find on the labels of Walmart Canada cans but won’t (yet) see on the Costco Canada cans are tocopherols. We’ll be updating all our labels (in the UK, US and worldwide) to include tocopherols. Wondering what they are? 
  
  
• Tocopherols are compounds that help protect formula from oxidation, reinforcing its shelf life and helping preserve taste. This ingredient is a tiny one (less than 0.01% of our recipe) but plays a key role in ensuring your Kendamil formula arrives in the freshest possible condition.

We can’t wait for more families to discover Kendamil and to be part of your little one’s feeding journey. We know how important formula is for those babies who rely solely on formula as their source of food, so for us, making sure our product labeling meets the guidelines set out by Health Canada and securing the store roll-outs that mean Kendamil is nearby, when you need it, remains our top priority, so we can support families in Canada not just today, but for the long-term. 

If you have any queries that this blog didn’t cover we’re standing by to answer your questions. Email our friendly customer service team enquiries@kendamil.com