"Novel Oils in Infant Formula and Organic Foods: Safe and Valuable Functional Food or Risky Marketing Gimmick?"

[hunkermunker]

I think it's been posted before but I reckon it's worth posting again.

This is the executive summary - I can post a link to the full report too, if anyone's interested.

Olihan, my Big Textbook says that the test you had does mean an interruption of bf because the radioactive iodine concentrates in the breastmilk.

Thank you, tiktok, it's one of those things that's played on my mind - there seemed to be a lot of confusion over how long and why I should have not bf for. At least I know now it was the right advice.

This is all very interesting.

Some unconnected thoughts:

The name Cornucopia Institute sounds dodgy IMO - is it a lobby/pressure group or an unbiased academic institution?

Is formula legally a foodstuff or a drug? If it were a drug, would the companies then be obliged to submit scientific evidence of safety and efficacy (compared to bf, ideally), report adverse events etc? Yes it would still be heavily promoted but at least there would be some reliable public domain information. We don't even get told much about what is actually in breastmilk, a better discussion of this would also be helpful IMO. I didn't know until I did some reading that it actually contains living immune cells, not just "antibodies" which is what Drs/HVs tell you about.

Those meaningless graphs of "the effects of immunofortis" in baby magazines mimic the style of drug company marketing literature, without the substance.

Sally, the institute say who they are at the end of the report. They are a lobby, but their work is respected and well-known, and this paper is referenced and carefully presented.

Formula is not a drug, but a food, and as such is able to market itself without the same levels of attention to safety and efficacy. As far as I am aware there is no mechanism to report adverse events - how could there be? Mothers buy it and use it freely, away from any 'surveillance'.

Legislation applies, but to marketing rather than the actualy ingredients. In fact, a little while ago, formula manufacturers were informed that unverifiable health claims would no longer be permitted on formula (such as 'closer to breastmilk' and other claims - they are listed somewhere); they resisted, appealed, and IIRC they now have till 2010 to change their packaging.

Oh, fair enough I'm not saying a lobby can't write a good quality paper, just that it would be nice if there was more unbiased peer-reviewed stuff out there.

Overthecounter medicine is bought and used freely by mothers as well - like calpol, gaviscon etc. If a baby had diarrhoes with an OTC medicine and this was not a documented side-effect then the authorities would have to be notified. If the same mechanism was in place for formulas then if a particular additive caused diarrhoes this would quickly become obvious.

They have until 2010 to change their packaging! - that makes me so angry, think of how many new mums will be misled in the meantime by their weasel words.

I never even bothered to compare different formulas before having DS, I was so certain i was going to BF. Then when he was admitted to hospital and needed formula they said "which shall we give him then" and I said "I don't know, which is best?" they said "we don't know, you should read the labels. Let us know within an hour".

The labels were so unhelpful that I chose SMA because it began with S for Sally

Isn't it ridiculous that there is so little real information about formula that we have to resort to such spurious reasons when choosing the only source of food our children will eat for their first 6 months?

My dh had to choose which formula (because I was in theatre, and they said that dd's blood sugar was low), they said there were 3 to choose from ; Cow & Gate, Aptamil, and SMA, he chose C&G, because it was the only one with a real word in it, rather than a made up jumble of letters!

Thanks for the link, Hunkermunker, I have read various articles on this website before, but din't realise until you posted you message, that you could actually join ( having 2 babies under 2 has turned my brain to mush, I'm afraid). I'm going to join as a birthday present to myself.

Great thread

I suspect most people on this thread will be breastfeeders though - I'm fairly sure that if I'd formula fed I'd be completely unable to even look at a thread about how random the ingredients of formula really are.

And even on this thread I guess it's only a matter of time before someone tells you you're attacking formula feeders.

What I'd like to see is formula being declared an OTC medication and subject to the same rules and scrutiny as other OTC medications. For a start that would allow us to find out what's in it and would set in place mechanisms to establish effects and side effects.

It couldn't happen right now - the companies are too powerful. But it's nothing short of scandalous that if you can't or don't want to breastfeed you have to feed your baby a commercial product, ie one that's designed to make money, rather than a clinically proven one, ie one that's designed to do the job well.

i think a lot of parents do care but it is a bit mindboggling really deciding what formula to use, we arrived at the supermarket and ten to four on a sunday afternoon and needed to buy bottles, sterilsir, formula etc.

i chose hipp organic, i looked at aptimil cos i had been told it was the best, but to me it didnt seem right to give my baby fish oils, even when weaning i dont introduce fish and meat until they are nearly one, so it didnt make sense to give him a non vegetarian formula.

we settled on hipp because it was organic and because its list of ingrediens was FAR shorter than other formulas such as aptimil, it doesnt have lots of these 'add ons' and i knew what eachof the ingredients were, whereas on some formulas i couldnt even pronounce the ingredients let alone know what they were.

Thanks for explaining Tiktok. So when you say that the authorities have to be satisfied that novel ingredients do not affect growth: does that mean that formula manufacturers, if they want to add some new ingredient, have to apply to the Food Standards Agency or whoever and get it approved?

That's a very sensible way of deciding 4mad

drama - you know, I am not sure what they have to do. I will try to find out

Thank you Tiktok. Although don't take loads of time over it or anything.

I just find the whole thing a bit alarming!

Me too.

I understand that if you can't breastfeed for whatever reason, you need to use something. But to blindly trust that companies with profit behind their intentions will have your baby's optimum nutrition at heart is naive to say the least - and if I can highlight this in some small way and get women asking questions of companies, that's got to be a good thing.

Happy Birthday Hunker

I agree Hunker, you can't rely on the manufacturers. I'd have hoped though that there was sufficient regulation to keep them in line. Mind you given how lame the government is when it comes to regulating the baby food industry I don't know why I continue to have such faith...

I have been noticing the American articles about formula additives for a while now and it makes me sick to my stomach. I chose aptamil for it appears all the wrong reasons when my little one started refusing boob at 7 months (now of course I reckon i know how I could have got through her little episode but then i was clueless and mnless). I have a horrid little squirm of dread in my stomach every time I think of the potential consequences of feeding her what i now see as frankenstein food . i am honestly ashamed that I was so naive

Thank you, TC.

I'm so sorry you feel squirmy, MrsPC It's tough not to blame yourself, but why should it be up to the individual woman to do all the research (especially when it's impossible research to do in many ways, since the info isn't out there, or it's buried in science-speak)?

Interesting how Charlotte Church gets more thread-space than this, which is infinitely more concerning.

V interesting Hunker. I took dha supplements when I was preg and breastfeeding, which I felt was worth doing, and I had noticed that they were now adding it to formula. I wonder whether the supplements I took were from the(fake) source? I'm pretty sure they were from a natural source, but am going to check now. I figure my body decided what to pass on anyway, but it's amazing how little one finds out until afterwards, eh?

I am a formula feeder and have had to literally force myself to read that article.

Feel a bit sick really

And Aitch, I completely, completely relate to what you said about aptamil and BF poos. I am in the middle of doing the very same with DD - there is something about those mustard runny poos that makes me think that is what they looked like when she was BF so this MUST be best for her. SICKENING to think that it is actually because of these fats added to milk

I think i need to talk to someone to thoroughly debrief my breastfeeding problems as I can see them haunting me for the rest of my life. I BF'ed until 4 months and I still havent come to terms with it. Even still ocassionally try to latch her on even though a) I have no milk now b) she has absolutely no idea what to do now.

And with all of these unresolved feelings about breastfeeding to find out that I can either feed her shite, shite or shite is just a shit place to be. And I cant even easily found out just how shite the shite is that Im feeding her!

Based on the above article would it be correct to deduce that if you want to avoid these novel oils that Hipp Organic would be a good choice?

While your on here actually hunker and tiktok - I have about 30oz of breastmilk in the freezer, it was expressed 3 months ago. Can I use it, or not?

phone one of the breastfeeding helplines. counsellors are also there to help women past their negative emotional feeling surrounding the loss of their breastfeeding experience.

I think Hipp doesn't contain the oils, but you might want to ring their helpline to establish that.

Agree you need to speak to someone re your feelings around bfing. I'm very, very sorry that the article upset you - it's really not my intention to upset people, more to get the information out there so that people realise more of what's behind the fluffy advertising they so often defend. Again, really sorry it made you feel wretched

Dont worry hunker, I really admire your work in supporting breastfeeding. I feel much the same about it, hence my discomfort with my own FF.

Just wanted to thank hunker for posting that article, very interesting. I also wish there were an independent body that could provide comparisons of different baby food formulas. It's crazy that when we buy a fridge, TV or MP3 player we can do loads of research into which is the best for our situation, but when we choose food for our baby there is next to nothing out there. It would be great if some body like Which? could take it on. After all, they do reports on food supplements anyway. But I imagine they are avoiding it because of the potential minefield.