Saturday, November 29, 2008
POISON FIT FOR CONSUMPTION: Melamine Found in U.S. Infant Formula
By: Paula Rothstein
Can the Food and Drug Administration be trusted to safeguard the public against health threats? The answer is indisputably no as once again established during the latest health threat, melamine laced infant formula.
If you are a parent of an infant consuming baby formula, like me, the first thing you did when you heard about melamine found in infant formula taking place in China was to check your can of formula to see where it was manufactured. However, we now learn melamine was found in the three big suppliers of infant formulain the U.S. -- Abbott Laboratories, Nestle and Mead Johnson -- and as time passed we learned the FDA knew about it and instead of notifying the public held a teleconfrence with the three suppliers to warn them of their findings. We would still know very little if it had not been for the Associated Press forcing the issue via the Freedom of Information Act which, thankfully, still exists in this country which feels less free every day.
According to the FDA the extremely low levels pose no threat whatsoever. This is insulting to our intelligence. If for no other reason than the fact that the FDA declared no level to be safe prior to finding trace amounts of melamine in the three dominating suppliers of infant formula. But let us also consider this -- we are not talking about one dose of this very low level of melamine but for some infants they are receiving their "low dose" every four hours around the clock for months and months. For some infants, preemies for example, they are exceptionally weak and relying on formula, laced with melamine as their only food supply. The FDA's position is both ludicrous and dangerous. Against the FDA's wishes, I have searched for a melamine free formula and found one excellent alternative at Naturesone.com.
By: Paula Rothstein
Can the Food and Drug Administration be trusted to safeguard the public against health threats? The answer is indisputably no as once again established during the latest health threat, melamine laced infant formula.
If you are a parent of an infant consuming baby formula, like me, the first thing you did when you heard about melamine found in infant formula taking place in China was to check your can of formula to see where it was manufactured. However, we now learn melamine was found in the three big suppliers of infant formulain the U.S. -- Abbott Laboratories, Nestle and Mead Johnson -- and as time passed we learned the FDA knew about it and instead of notifying the public held a teleconfrence with the three suppliers to warn them of their findings. We would still know very little if it had not been for the Associated Press forcing the issue via the Freedom of Information Act which, thankfully, still exists in this country which feels less free every day.
According to the FDA the extremely low levels pose no threat whatsoever. This is insulting to our intelligence. If for no other reason than the fact that the FDA declared no level to be safe prior to finding trace amounts of melamine in the three dominating suppliers of infant formula. But let us also consider this -- we are not talking about one dose of this very low level of melamine but for some infants they are receiving their "low dose" every four hours around the clock for months and months. For some infants, preemies for example, they are exceptionally weak and relying on formula, laced with melamine as their only food supply. The FDA's position is both ludicrous and dangerous. Against the FDA's wishes, I have searched for a melamine free formula and found one excellent alternative at Naturesone.com.