16 July 2007

Baby food breach breathtaking

Green Party Safe Food Spokesperson Sue Kedgley is astounded that a major food company like Nutricia would use unapproved products in infant formula.

"This a serious breach of Food Safety regulations. Nutricia is an international company which must understand that new additives and ingredients need to go through an approval process - including a safety assessment - before being permitted in the food supply. It is frankly astonishing that they would have flagrantly breached the rules in this way - especially in something as important as infant formula," Ms Kedgley says.

"There are strict regulations surrounding the ingredients of infant formula, because it is the only food that infants consume in their early - and most vulnerable - months. It is essential that any ingredient in infant formula has been meticulously assessed for its safety.

"The fact that there has been no assessment or approval of this additive is a huge concern, and I am pleased that the Food Safety Authority has issued this warning to all parents. I assume they are also getting legal advice about what sanctions they can take against a company which has flagrantly breached food regulations in this way.

"It also raises questions about why it took so long for the authority to discover this breach --and why it acted a month after Australian authorities had taken similar action.

"Fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) are not easily digested, and can cause a variety of adverse reactions in babies such as bloating and abdominal. This makes the breach all the more serious," Ms Kedgley says.

ENDS

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