The statement is made "I want to know that, when that formula is used, it's
as good-quality a product as is possible" in conjunction with thoughtful
commentary about the pitfalls (monetary, societal, biological) of
widespread human milk banks.  Situations where rare-but-actual medical
conditions make use of pooled donor milk risky, when the milk comes from
women whose health and eating habits may not specifically be known, are
mentioned.  These are indeed very real risks -- I do not challenge the
notion.

And yet.

The notion that infant formula has somehow been tested, vetted, screened
and designed within an inch of its infants-will-use-it-anyway life is
simply not true.  It is "Generally Recognized As Safe" (GRAS) under Food
and Drug Administration regulations in the USA, considered a food item
rather than a drug.  Any alterations to formula are allowed to occur --
without any prior approvals or testing for quality or even safety.  All the
infant formula mfgr has to do is "provide assurances" that whatever tweaks
and additions have occurred are OK ("This omega oil produced from seaweed
is safe.  Honest it is.")    Any problems that arise are discovered by what
I call "The Oops Method:"  enough reports of adverse reactions are filed by
doctors or consumers -- after the fact -- to warrant a recall of the item.
 To learn more about the FDA's oversight of formula see:
http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/Product-SpecificInformation/InfantFormula/default.htm

Always makes me wonder how those families whose babies *were* affected by
using formula that resulted in adverse impacts or harm would have felt, had
they known the substance they were exclusively offering their children
hadn't been tested, and was being marketed on a
chances-are-more-likely-than-not-that-it-is-okay basis.

-- 
Liz Brooks JD IBCLC FILCA
Wyndmoor, PA, USA

             ***********************************************

Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html
To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]
Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask]
COMMANDS:
1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail
2. To start it again: set lactnet mail
3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome