During these discussions on prescribing formula, I am reminded of what
happened in Massachusetts a number of years ago when this issue was circulating
within WIC. Many thought that this was a good idea until the formula companies got
wind of it. One company printed up prescription pads for physicians with a
list of all of their formulas and a box to check off which formula the doctor
wanted to "prescribe."

The efforts to grab more of the market share of infant formula is escalating
tremendously. Nestle is bringing the formula Nan into the US and slapping a
label in Spanish on it so that Hispanic mothers will have something familiar
from their country to purchase in their new home. Nestle is hiring like crazy
(RNs and RDs) to circulate around the US giving bogus in-services to encourage
nurses to recommend Carnation formulas because they are partially hydrolyzed.
This is claimed to be an emerging primary allergy prevention strategy for
infants at risk of developing allergies.

Ross is now claiming that their formula "can help develop both your baby's
immune system and brain like breast milk." Their phrase, "So much like breast
milk in so many ways" is interesting. Looking at the plethora of formulas on the
market around the world we see some interesting additions to formula to
support the "similarities" to breast milk:

fermented microalgae (DHA)
soil fungus (ARA)-extracted with hexane
bacteria (probiotics)
yeast (oligosaccharides)
viral DNA (genetically modified corn and soy)

Let's hope the new recommendations from the Institute of Medicine,
www.nap.edu,  can in some way help look at this stuff before it is put on the market.

Marsha Walker, RN, IBCLC
Weston, MA


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