The death of helpless newborns makes us wonder about the quality of all manufactured foods.
Haaretz reports that the Israeli court accepted a plea bargain for Israeli Health Ministry officials who failed to inspect infant formula. The faulty soy powder ultimately caused the death of three babies. In 2003, Remedia Israel imported soy formula, manufactured by Humana in Germany. The formula lacked the essential Vitamin B1. Aside from the three babies who died, twenty more suffered serious brain damage. Since the incident the health ministry has been following the other “Remedia babies,” who were symptom-free when the problem was discovered. These children have much higher rates of developmental problems including ADHD, hearing loss and learning disabilities.
Instead of putting the ministry officials in jail or even fining them a respectable sum, the court will require them to do community service—a judge mentioned a “minimum” of 500 hours.
This light sentence leads us to wonder about the accuracy of our food labels.
If the people who are responsible for the quality control of infant formula can get away with skipping inspections, what does that say about the rest of our processed food? The major food manufacturers now know that no one really cares about the claims they make on their labels. If they want to write that the food contains added vitamins, or has no cholesterol or food coloring, no one will check. If someone happen to find out, the manufacturers will be let off with a slap on the wrist.
Israel has failed in its job to protect babies, not just once but twice. Once when the ministry failed to inspect the formula, and again when the court let officials get away with it. Their attitude puts future children at greater risk.
If expectant parents need yet another reason to breastfeed, the price of the local Materna brand, co-owned by Osem and conglomerate Nestle, increased last week by 17%.
Formula manufacture and marketing are an ecological issue. The vast majority of mothers can breastfeed when they get proper information and support, which should never include advertising and marketing from formula companies. Breastfeeding remains the safest, greenest and cheapest way to feed babies.
More green posts on infant feeding:
Saudi Formula Companies Put Babies at Risk by Promoting “Safe” Formula
What Is Causing Breast Growth in Chinese Toddlers?
Why Baby’s First Gift Shouldn’t Be Formula From the Hospital
:: TheMarker
Author: Hannah Katsman
Hannah learned environmentalism from her mother, a conservationist before it was in style. Once a burglar tried to enter their home in Cincinnati after noticing the darkened windows (covered with blankets for insulation) and the snow-covered car in the driveway. Mom always set the thermostat for 62 degrees Fahrenheit (17 Celsius) — 3 degrees lower than recommended by President Nixon — because “the thermostat is in the dining room, but the stove’s pilot light keeps the kitchen warmer.” Her mother would still have preferred today’s gas-saving pilotless stoves. Hannah studied English in college and education in graduate school, and arrived in Petach Tikva in 1990 with her husband and oldest child. Her mother died suddenly six weeks after Hannah arrived and six weeks before the first Gulf War, and Hannah stayed anyway. She has taught English but her passion is parental education and support, especially breastfeeding. She recently began a new blog about energy- and time-efficient meal preparation called CookingManager.Com. You can find her thoughts on parenting, breastfeeding, Israeli living and women in Judaism at A Mother in Israel. Hannah can be reached at hannahk (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
Really disturbing. What can the public do? Write letters – to whom?
Miriam, to the newspapers I would think.