Yet another really good reason to NURSE your baby!!
Suzanne

Organic Infant Formula Ingredients Processed with Toxic Chemical
<http://www.nourishinghope.com/nourishing_hope_blog/2008/06/organic-
infant.html>


*FDA Reports Indicate Infants Sickened From Algae/Fungal-Based
Nutritional Supplements*

From the Cornucopia Institute:

CORNUCOPIA, WISCONSIN - April 15 - The Cornucopia Institute filed a
legal complaint with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) today,
demanding that the agency enforce the organic regulations prohibiting
toxic solvents from being used in the production of organic food. The
Institute, a nonprofit food and farm policy research group, found
that
baby formula and other food manufacturers are using hexane-extracted
omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids (DHA/ARA) derived from algae and soil
fungus.

Perhaps more startling, through a Freedom of Information request at
the
FDA, Cornucopia found algal- and fungal-based DHA/ARA have been
linked
to serious side effects such as virulent diarrhea and vomiting in
infants consuming infant formula, many of whom required medical
treatment and hospitalization.

"The federal organic regulations very clearly prohibit these oils in
organic foods, so this is not a case of companies finding loopholes
in
the regulations. What we're seeing is the latest in a long string of
USDA actions that blatantly cater to industry interests at the
expense
of consumer safety," said Mark Kastel, Codirector of the Cornucopia
Institute, based in Cornucopia, Wisconsin. "USDA officials are simply
allowing these companies to freely break the organic rules in their
pursuit of profit," he adds.

Organic products with the prohibited fatty acid supplements include
Horizon Organic milk with DHA (Dean Foods) and organic infant
formulas,
including Similac Organic (Abbott Laboratories), Earth's Best (Hain
Celestial), and Bright Beginnings Organic (PBM Products).

Martek Biosciences Corporation produces these DHA and ARA
supplements.
They are extracted from fermented algae and soil fungus with the use
of
a highly explosive neurotoxic petrochemical solvent, hexane. The
Occupational Safety and Health Administration lists hexane as a
serious
hazard to worker health and safety, and the Environmental Protection
Agency classifies it as a hazardous air pollutant. The National
Organic
Program strictly prohibits its use in the processing of organic foods
and ingredients.

"Only a change in the regulations would make these oils legal in
organic
foods, and a regulation change requires citizen input," said David
Cox,
a lawyer with the Columbus, Ohio law firm of Lane, Alton, and Horst.
"USDA officials do not have the legal authority to decide on their
own
that they will not enforce the regulations, no matter how much
industry
is lobbying or pressuring them."

The addition of DHA and ARA to organic infant formula is especially
troublesome considering that Martek's oils are linked to serious
illness
in some infants. "Through a FOIA request, we discovered that scores
of
parents have notified the FDA that their infants experienced symptoms
such as serious cases of diarrhea, vomiting, and extreme gassiness
from
consuming DHA/ARA formula, often requiring medical intervention.
These
symptoms commonly disappeared as soon as the infants were given
regular
formula without these supplements," said Charlotte Vallaeys, the
author
of Cornucopia's comprehensive report Replacing Mother---Imitating
Human
Breast Milk in the Laboratory (www.cornucopia.org).

While formula makers claim to add these oils because they "support
brain
and eye development," scientific data to corroborate these claims are
very weak. "Results of most of the well conducted clinical trials
have
not shown beneficial effects of DHA and ARA supplementation of
formula
milk on the physical, visual and neurodevelopmental outcomes of
infants
born at term," according to Dr. Karen Simmer, professor in the
School of
Women's and Infant's Health at the University of Western Australia.

Breast-feeding advocates worldwide contend that DHA and ARA appear
to be
added primarily as marketing tools. DHA and ARA supplementation adds
approximately $200 annually to the cost of formula, which is
absorbed by
parents and publicly funded nutrition programs. Misleading claims
that
DHA/ARA supplemented formula is now "as close as ever to breast milk"
also lead to the impression among many new mothers that formula is
now
equivalent to breastfeeding, which may contribute to lower rates of
breastfeeding and higher formula sales.

"Adding these two fatty acids to formula does not make it 'close to
breast milk,'" said Jennifer Thomas, M.D., a pediatrician practicing
in
Racine, Wisconsin. "Breast milk has nutrients, live cells, and
bioactive
compounds that are absent from formula," she added. "Formula
advertisements featuring DHA and ARA make it a lot harder for me, as
a
pediatrician, to convince new mothers to breastfeed if they have seen
advertisements or labels implying that formula is just as good as
breast
milk."

But the serious side effects experienced by some babies remain the
most
pressing reason for keeping these oils out of organic infant formula.
Cornucopia has filed a Freedom of Information request to look into
how
the USDA appears to have collaborated with lobbyists for Dean Foods
and
others in secretly allowing these materials, despite their explicit
prohibition in the federal organic regulations. "It's bad enough
these
materials are being added to conventional infant formula," said
Cornucopia's Kastel. "This marketing gimmick has no place in
organics,
where mothers are looking for the safest, most nutritious and natural
foods for their families."

MORE:
The Cornucopia Institute, together with the National Alliance for
Breastfeeding Advocacy, has petitioned the FDA to require a warning
label on all infant formula supplemented with Martek's DHA and ARA.
Currently, parents of infants who experience adverse reactions to
DHA/ARA formula have no way of knowing that these fatty acid
supplements
may be the cause.

Few parents know that Martek's supplements contain only 40 to 50% DHA
and ARA, with the balance being sunflower oil, diglycerides, and
"nonsaponifiable" materials. Many of these components are not found
in
human breast milk, and the triglycerides carrying DHA and ARA are not
identical to those found in human breast milk---and have never been
part
of the diet for human infants. It is unclear why some infants cannot
tolerate these laboratory-produced DHA/ARA supplements. But the
evidence
of side effects strongly suggests that more research is warranted.

People can urge the FDA to require a warning label by following the
attached link and posting a comment

The Cornucopia Institute and the National Alliance for Breastfeeding
Advocacy have also petitioned the Federal Trade Commission (FTC),
alleging that formula companies are engaged in misleading
advertising.
The ads touting benefits to brain and eye development appear to be
based
on shaky scientific evidence. Lawyers at the FTC had previously
warned
Martek and formula companies about overstating the benefits of DHA
and
ARA. In response to the petition by Cornucopia and NABA, the FTC is
currently investigating the alleged false advertisements.

Parents and health care providers are encouraged to pass on reports
of
adverse reactions to infant formula or food products containing DHA
and/or ARA to the FDA and to The Cornucopia Institute:
cultivate@...

Also today, The Cornucopia Institute filed a formal legal complaint
with
the USDA, calling for an investigation of Quality Assurance
International (QAI). QAI is the nation's largest corporate organic
certifier and has been at the center of a number of other scandals in
the organic industry, most prominently the questionable
certification of
large factory farm milk production. Cornucopia charges QAI with lax
oversight and improper certification of products containing DHA/ARA
oils, including questioning whether or not QAI is complying with the
law
and has the technical qualifications to carry out their
responsibilities.

The full formal complaints can be viewed at:

www.cornucopia.org/DHA/USDA_DHA_LegalComplaint.pdf
<http://www.nourishinghope.com/nourishing_hope_blog/in_the_news/www.c
ornucopia.o\
rg/DHA/USDA_DHA_LegalComplaint.pdf>

www.cornucopia.org/DHA/USDA_QAI_LegalComplaint.pdf
<http://www.nourishinghope.com/nourishing_hope_blog/in_the_news/www.c
ornucopia.o\
rg/DHA/USDA_QAI_LegalComplaint.pdf>

Executive summary is available at:
http://www.cornucopia.org/DHA/DHA_Executive_Summary_web.pdf



Posted at 10:01 AM in Healthy Pregnancy and Baby
<http://www.nourishinghope.com/nourishing_hope_blog/healthy_pregnancy
_and_infant\
s/index.html>,
In the News
<http://www.nourishinghope.com/nourishing_hope_blog/in_the_news/index
.html>,
Toxins
<http://www.nourishinghope.com/nourishing_hope_blog/environmental_tox
ins/index.h\
tml>
| Permalink
<http://www.nourishinghope.com/nourishing_hope_blog/2008/06/organic-
infant.html>
| Comments (0)
<http://www.nourishinghope.com/nourishing_hope_blog/2008/06/organic-
infant.html#\
comments>





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[