Chapter 3: Real or Fake?

In This Chapter

• Facts about artificial formula
• Risks of using breast milk substitutes
• Health outcomes
• Costs of formula feeding
• Making an informed choice

Reading the Product Label

"… The ingredients contained in baby formula are based on a cow's milk, soy, or meat-based protein. If you read the label it can be an alarming discovery. You'll find ingredients like whey protein; palm, coconut and safflower oils; maltodextrin; soy lecithin; inositol; pyridoxine hydrochloride; biotin; and so on. Cow's milk and soybeans are chosen as protein ingredients because of their low cost and abundance when it comes to mass production. Artificial ingredients are usually the culprits when it comes to causing allergies. An allergen is a substance that causes an allergic response. When it comes to babies, the milk protein from cows is a common allergen. You see, the human body knows what's real and what's fake! …"

Product Recalls

"… When it comes to formula production and distribution, consumers rely on the manufacturer for a clean, safe food product. Well, mistakes can happen in the manufacture of baby formula … The FDA has made several product recalls due to health and safety problems with infant formula … Salmonella, klebsiella pneumonia, glass particles, and lumped and curdled milk contaminants have all been found in recalled infant formulas … Years ago, the FDA uncovered the sale of counterfeit formula. Thousands of cans were mislabeled and sold to unsuspecting consumers …'"

Costs of Artificial Milk

"… The average family in the United States feeding its baby a breast milk substitute spends between $1,500 and $2,000 each year. These costs include the purchase of formula, bottles, nipples, and additional supplies for preparation and storage … A study five years ago by Kaiser Permanente's health maintenance organization in the United States found that the health care costs for formula-fed infants averaged $1,400 more than breastfed infants."

"… The greatest purchaser of baby formula in the United States is a government agency called WIC … More than $600 million is spent each year on the purchase of this formula. And it's every tax-paying American who ultimately funds this purchase …"