Have you heard about the formula problems in China? I'm talking about infant formula. The same crap that contaminated pet food and killed animals has now found its way into infant formula and has killed at least 3 babies and made 53,000 babies sick. 53,000 babies. Can you believe that?!? I think that is absolutely deplorable and terrifying!!!
There are a lot of articles on this right now with new ones daily. This is a press release I just read:
A report released by the Xinhua News Agency indicates the Sanlu Group, the producer of the tainted formula, had received consumer complaints about their product as early as December 2007, and repeatedly made efforts to hide information about possible contamination. Melamine, a chemical compound used mainly as a fire retardant, has been identified as the contaminant in the formula which has now led to the recall of Chinese-made dairy products in China and other parts of Asia as well.
In response to these continuing reports of tainted Chinese baby formula, the
Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine urges public agencies worldwide to renew education and support for breastfeeding. The tragic and unnecessary deaths of infants in China and the sickening of thousands of others, remind us of a truth health experts have long understood: with extremely rare exceptions, breastmilk is unquestionably the safest method of infant feeding. Much attention has been focused lately on ways in which food and other supply chains in China should be more carefully monitored and regulated, a problem which has proven to be ubiquitous, deeply engrained in the Chinese economy, and thus far highly unmanageable.
In the case of infant feeding, however, very little has been said about what would appear to be the most effective long-term strategy to protect infants against future feeding catastrophes, namely, the promotion of breastfeeding. The melamine scandal, together with the terribly catastrophic earthquake that ravaged so many Chinese communities last May, should have demonstrated to China and to the entire world that breastfeeding is a practice that all societies should cherish, safeguard, and promote.
This stark reminder of the potential dangers of artificial milk, underscores the importance of promoting, protecting, and supporting breastfeeding worldwide. Dr. Caroline Chantry, President of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, pointed out "China is not the first, or only country to fall prey to contaminated baby formula. But we must make it the last. And we do know how."
There's more, but I think that about covers my feelings on the issue. As a sidenote, I read that if a breatfeeding mother consumes melamine, it does NOT pose a danger to her breastfeeding baby.
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