About Mead Johnson
Mead Johnson - a 100 years dedicated to infant nutrition
Mead Johnson's worldwide leadership in nutrition can be traced back nearly a century to founder Edward Mead Johnson. He was among the first innovators in the early 1900s dedicated to the well-being of babies and to the science of infant nutrition.
E. Mead began his career in 1885 with his brother James, as co-founders of Johnson & Johnson. In 1895, still involved with Johnson & Johnson, he formed the American Ferment Company in Jersey City, New Jersey. Two years later E. Mead left Johnson & Johnson to focus his new venture, which he renamed Mead Johnson & Company in 1905.
E. Mead knew firsthand about the importance of infant nutrition. In 1888, the life of his infant son, Ted, was in danger because he wasn't thriving on his feeds and had to be fed a cooked gruel mixture. E. Mead learned that Ted wasn't the only baby with feeding issues. In fact, sadly, many babies were dying before their first birthdays because of feeding problems.
Motivated by this dire situation, E. Mead sought advice from one of the leading paediatricians at the time and in 1911, the company introduced Dextri-Maltose, a product that could be added to milk to make a balanced, safe, infant formula. Dextri-Maltose was a pioneer product in infant feeding and stayed on the market for over 60 years.
Amazing firsts: to world leader in nutrition
In the early 1920s, Mead Johnson scientists began producing an impressive line of nutritional products. Many of them were world "firsts," and proof of Mead Johnson's commitment to meeting unique nutritional needs with unique products.
There were many innovations over the following years that would distinguish Mead Johnson as a nutritional and scientific leader. They include:
- Vi-SolsT, the first water-soluble vitamins for babies
- Specialty infant formulas such as Nutramigen®, the first protein hydrolysate infant formula
- Enfamil in 1959 - a routine infant formula patterned after breast milk
Mead Johnson's commitment to families and babies has made it a leader in nutrition renowned for providing scientifically based products which enhance the quality of life.
Helping babies with special nutritional needs
Mead Johnson Nutritionals continues its legacy of listening to doctors and mothers.
In Europe including the UK Mead Johnson is a leader in specialist infant formulas such as Nutramigen, for infants with cow's milk allergy and Enfamil AR and Enfamil O-Lac for infants with common feeding problems such as reflux and diarrhoea. Through consultation with healthcare professionals and extensive clinical research Mead Johnson also provides new answers to feeding problems in innovative ways.
