Kendamil is a British-made infant formula that uses whole milk as its primary ingredient, setting it apart from most formula brands that rely entirely on vegetable oils for fat content. Made in the Lake District of England by a family-owned company called Kendal Nutricare, Kendamil has gained a strong following among parents looking for a European-style formula that’s available in the United States.
Why Whole Milk Matters
Most infant formulas start with skim milk and then add vegetable oils to supply the fat babies need. Kendamil takes a different approach by using whole cow’s milk as both the base and a major source of fat. This means the formula needs less vegetable oil overall, and it avoids palm oil and soy oil entirely. The whole milk also gives the powder a noticeably golden color and a creamier taste compared to standard formulas.
The whole milk base has another benefit that Kendamil highlights heavily: it naturally contains milk fat globule membrane, or MFGM. This is a structure found in breast milk that surrounds fat droplets and carries proteins and fats involved in brain development and immune function. Because most formulas strip out milk fat during processing, they lose MFGM unless it’s added back in as a separate ingredient. Kendamil’s approach keeps it present as a natural part of the milk.
The Three Product Lines
Kendamil sells three main formula ranges in the US: Classic, Organic, and Goat. All three are available in stages that correspond to your baby’s age.
Kendamil Classic is the most affordable and widely available option. It uses whole cow’s milk from Red Tractor-accredited farms in Cumbria and Lancashire, meaning the farms meet a specific British quality assurance standard for animal welfare and food safety. Classic includes prebiotics (GOS) and human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), which are compounds designed to mimic the gut-supporting sugars found in breast milk. Kendamil is the only manufacturer that adds HMOs to both its Classic and Organic ranges.
Kendamil Organic uses organically farmed whole milk and carries organic certification. The ingredient profile is similar to Classic, and it also includes HMOs. It costs more than Classic, as you’d expect from an organic product.
Kendamil Goat swaps cow’s milk for whole A2 goat milk and goat whey. Goat milk naturally contains A2 beta-casein protein, which forms smaller, softer curds in the stomach compared to the A1 protein found in most cow’s milk. For babies dealing with gassiness, constipation, or reflux, goat milk formula may ease some of that discomfort. Kendamil adjusts the goat milk’s naturally high casein content by adding goat whey protein to reach a roughly 60:40 whey-to-casein ratio, which is closer to the balance found in breast milk. The Goat formula is the most expensive of the three, and there is no organic goat option.
Vegetarian and Allergen Considerations
Kendamil reformulated its recipes to make the formula vegetarian-friendly. Most infant formulas get their omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids from fish oil, which is both an allergen concern and an environmental one. Kendamil switched to plant-based sources for these essential fats, eliminating fish oil from the ingredient list. This makes it suitable for families following a vegetarian diet, though it still contains dairy and is not vegan.
How It’s Made
The factory in Kendal, in England’s Lake District, was originally built over 60 years ago as a dedicated baby formula production facility. The McMahon family took over the factory in 2015 specifically to keep formula manufacturing in the UK. Fresh liquid milk is delivered to the factory each morning from local farms, rather than being shipped as dried milk powder and reconstituted, which is the more common industry practice.
This local sourcing and in-house manufacturing is a point Kendamil emphasizes frequently. The entire operation, from recipe development to production, happens at the single Lake District site.
Availability in the US
Kendamil entered the American market during the 2022 infant formula shortage, when the FDA granted enforcement discretion to foreign manufacturers to help increase supply. Since then, Kendal Nutricare has been working toward full FDA compliance. As of the FDA’s tracking records, Kendamil submitted its new infant formula filing by the expected July 2025 deadline for all three product lines: Classic, Organic, and Goat.
You can buy Kendamil through its US website and at several major retailers. Before the FDA pathway opened, American parents who wanted Kendamil had to import it from Europe at significant cost, so direct US availability has made it considerably more accessible.
How to Prepare Kendamil
Kendamil uses a ratio of one level scoop of powder to one ounce of water. Always measure the water first, then add the powder. The company recommends mixing with water that has been boiled and then cooled for about 30 minutes, which brings the temperature down to around 158°F. This is hot enough to kill any bacteria that might be present in the powdered formula but not so hot that it destroys nutrients. Once mixed, cool the bottle under running water or in a bowl of cold water before feeding.
This preparation method differs from what many American parents are used to. In the US, the common practice is mixing formula with room-temperature or warm water, but Kendamil follows the European and WHO recommendation of using water hot enough to sterilize the powder itself. If you’re switching to Kendamil from another brand, the preparation routine is worth paying attention to.