Without looking it up, do you know what SMA stands for?

[hunkermunker]

I was a bit surprised - surprised I didn't know until I read it this week, that is! I thought I did.

[IdrisTheDragon]

No idea at all.

I presume the M is for Milk.

Will look it up now

[lisad123]

scabby milk alert! LOL no serious have no clue

[IdrisTheDragon]

Have now found out.

[sorryaboutthenamechange]

Nope no idea

[GetOrfMoiLand]

Well I can't find out, all I can see are references to Singapore Manufacturers Assocation or Special Memorandum Account.

[hunkermunker]

If you do find out, don't post the answer on here, please - not for a little while.

[IdrisTheDragon]

Did you see how I did not give anything away - well apart from the M

[hunkermunker]

I did. I thought it v classy

[MillBill]

SMA stands for 'Synthetic Milk Adaptation' and was first developed in 1919 by SMA Nutrition. Apparently.

[MillBill]

Shit, sorry, you said without looking it up.

[hunkermunker]

Yeah, I also said don't post the answer.

Hey ho, never mind

Interesting though - I bet not many people on here would know what it stood for without looking it up.

Anyone surprised by what it does stand for?

[DidEinsteinsMum]

I was close. if you want to find out try typing sma milk rather then just sma.

[IdrisTheDragon]

I really hadn't thought before - just let the letters roll into one "word". Doesn't sound so friendly in its full title really does it?

[edam]

Yes, you can see why they don't exactly boast about it...

I was quite old before I realised it was S. M. A. not 'smaaaaaah'. But there were no full stops on the tin when my littlest sister was a baby!

[hunkermunker]

I've been reading Politics Of Breastfeeding (I had to stop as it was depressing me so thoroughly that I took a break from it!). In it, the term "artificial milk" is used frequently, which I know upsets people and I can see why, but the "magical reverence" of the term 'infant formula' irritates me - and Gabrielle Palmer talks about that too. She says a cake is made up of ingredients, but we don't call it a formula. It's a pseudoscientific term, really, invented to lend authority to the product.

And oh, the marketing, the dreadful, dreadful things they said and did - and are still saying and doing!

And the name "Synthetic Milk Adapted" was referenced and I was surprised I hadn't known it already and I wondered whether it was hidden for a reason, because people don't like thinking of "artificial milk" and "synthetic" makes me think of nylon and other sweaty manmade fibres - and I wondered whether it would be a bit of a marketing own goal to make what it stood for widely-known.

[IdrisTheDragon]

Yes, nylon - that's what it makes me think of.

[MillBill]

That'll teach me to skim read, Facebook, Hotmail and watch telly at the same time.

[hunkermunker]

If you've posted here, you'll be interested in this thread, I'm sure

[NotQuiteCockney]

In North America, formula is often called baby milk. Implying that the other stuff is milk for ... what?

[GoldenSnitch]

I knew - but only cause I read that bit in Politic of Breastfeeding just last night

[KingRolo]

I didn't know what SMA stood for either until I read The Politics of Breastfeeding. Nice.

One of the most appalling things Palmer writes about is the use of 'milk nurses' by Nestle to promote artificial milk in developing countries. The sales women dressed as nurses and handed out free samples in hospitals. When asked later the majority of the new mothers said they thought the forumla had been recommended by the hospital.

[TitsalinaBumsquash]

No idea!

[hunkermunker]

KingRolo, they were still doing that in the Philippines not that long ago...