At least seven popular brands of infant milk formula have exaggerated nutrient levels on their labels that could mislead parents, checks by the South China Morning Post found.
The quantities listed on the product labels overstated the content of three important ingredients by as much as three times, although all remained within World Health Organisation guidelines.
The checks were made after the Centre for Food Safety published a report showing that two Japanese formula brands were deficient in iodine, leaving babies who consumed them at risk of thyroid and brain damage.
Using the report, the Post compared the quantities of three other nutrients - vitamin K, vitamin B5 and iron, all essential for a baby's growth - with the product labels and found significant discrepancies.
The biggest was for vitamin B5 in Nestle NAN HA 1, in which the stated amount was three times the actual quantity. Vitamin K and iron were also heavily overstated by a quarter to more than a third.
Manufacturers said some variation was normal depending on the test methods.