Company founder Edward Mead Johnson's infant son, Ted, suffered from a life-threatening congenital heart condition, complicated by also not tolerating his feedings and becoming weaker. Desperate for help, the family consulted the foremost pediatrician in the United States, who prescribed a feeding mixture that helped save Ted's life. Years later, the memory of this experience led E. Mead to develop Dextri Maltose, a specialty carbohydrate powder designed to be mixed with milk.

As the first clinically-supported, physician-recommended infant feeding product in the U.S., Dextri-Maltose laid the foundation for more innovative products designed to meet the nutritional needs of babies and their mothers.