In an effort to improve  safety requirements for infant formulas, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is proposing a new rule to regulate and set safety standards in the manufacturing of the product, Reuters reported.

The FDA published an interim final rule Thursday to further safeguard the health of infants fed infant formula in the United States. The rule sets high-quality standards for manufacturers to produce safe infant formula that supports healthy growth.

"This rule will help to prevent adulteration in infant formula and ensure infant formula supports normal, physical growth," Michael R. Taylor, the FDA's deputy commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine, said in a statement.

The proposed rule will establish good manufacturing practices for infant formula products, such as required testing for contamination from harmful bacteria salmonella, Reuters reported. It will also, in part, ensure that infant formula contains all federally required nutrients.

Although breastfeeding is strongly recommended, only 75 percent of infants in the United States start out being breastfed, according to the FDA. By the age of three months, two-thirds of U.S. infants rely on infant formula for some portion of their nutrition.

 "Many families rely on infant formula as either the sole source of nutrition or an integral part of an infant's diet through 12 months of age," Taylor said. "The FDA sets high quality standards for infant formulas because nutritional deficiencies during this critical time of development can have a significant impact on a child's long-term health and well-being."

The FDA said some companies currently manufacturing infant formula in the United States already voluntarily conduct many of the current good manufacturing practices and quality control procedures included in the interim final rule.

The federal agency will accept and review comments from the public on the rule for 45 days, Reuters reported.

The introduced rule applies only to infant formulas represented for use by healthy infants without unusual medical or dietary problems.