U.S. infant formula maker Abbott Inc. said on Oct. 14 local time that it will conduct a voluntary recall of some of its infant formula due to the risk of spoilage.
Abbott said the recall is for some lots of ready-to-eat liquid products for infants and children, less than 1 percent of which may not have fully sealed caps, putting the products at risk of spoilage. The company said the overall supply of formula across the U.S. is not expected to be affected by the recall.
According to a new report jointly released by the World Health Organization and UNICEF, more than half of the parents and pregnant women surveyed have been targeted by infant formula companies for marketing, and most of the companies marketing practices do not follow international standards for infant and young child feeding practices.
Marketing tactics adopted by the infant formula industry include.
1. exploiting regulatory loopholes and using online precision targeting marketing that compromises consumer privacy; 2. sponsoring maternity counseling service networks and support lines
3. offering promotions and gifts.
4. employing a range of tactics to influence the training and feeding advice of medical personnel.
The information obtained by parents and medical personnel is often misleading, not scientifically based, and in violation of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes. The International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes was adopted by the World Health Assembly in 1981 as a landmark public health consensus to protect mothers from the aggressive marketing activities of the infant food industry.
Some brands of formula are fortified with certain nutrients.
But for infants, the added nutrients don't have much effect on them.
In addition to drinking milk, infants over 6 months of age are fed a complementary diet. Many nutrients can be supplemented in supplemental foods as well.
When parents are shopping, they don't have to choose carefully just for one or two nutrients, but more importantly, choose formulas for their infants from manufacturers that are reliable in quality.
