> Kathleen wrote: The Dutch newspaper article makes it sound like the company is
making
> bizarre and wild claims.  I wonder if this is just journalistic "hype".
> Certainly the web page, while claiming to have a product better than
> conventional formulas, does not say they have copied human milk.  Hmmmm . .
> . . . Newspaper and science-for-the-public magazines often exaggerate and
> make things more dramatic to try to generate interest.  The same way every
> new fossil find in Africa is going to "Force anthropologists to completely
> rethink human evolution."  Hardly.

Yes, you are right Kathleen. But it also is thru that the most vulnarable group
(expectant and new moms) often do not read all of the message, but merely are
head-hunting the papers. They are the ones Numico targets on. They are the ones
that will think why to bother with breastfeeding now that formula really is as
good as breastmilk.
Also note in the article you shared with us:
> quick relief of
> symptoms and a natural intestinal flora with soft stools (such effects are
found in
> breast fed babies).
and:
>      Specific fats as found in breast milk
They do equal their formula with human milk here, if not in exact words then in
intention.

Some quotes from the newspaper article (frontpage)
Title: Numico: kopy of mother's milk
''We imitated nature,'' with these words topman van der Wielen of Numico
characterised the new babyfood of his company. At the presentation of the
yearresults of his concern v.d. Wielen claimed that Numico (...) made an exact
copy of human milk. (...)
On page 7 (economic news!) a 4column article opens: The nutrition company Numico
succeeded to make an exact kopy of human milk with natural ingredients. (...)
...powdered mother's milk ...
Then the article continues to describe the *very nice progress* Numico has made
in the food and food supplements market overall, but that the babyfood segment
keeps coming behind a bit, but that this new product certainly will lift it,
along with the follow-up milks.

Another quote from teh website article:
> Up to 50% of all babies fed by infant formula suffer from minor digestive
problems,
> such as colic, cramps, flatulence and constipation. These are usually caused
by
> a transient immaturity of the intestinal system
Ofcourse this is putting people on the wrong leg, while it should read:
''caused by the premature introduction of other foods than breastmilk.'' The
intestinal system is not in any form immature, it is exactly as it should be in
a newborn up to the first half year of live. By then it has not matured (as
opposed to immaturity), but rather transitioned to another stage, that of
digesting other foods then mother's milk. What they say is not just a literairy
freedom, but is deliberately giving false information with the intention to get
better themselves. Other words for that practise are lying or fraude.
They also ''forget'' to mention that breastfeeding is more than giving one food
instead of onother and that milk of mammals is designed especially for the
young/babies of the species to meet their nutritional as well as their health
needs (protection against infections and illnesses of the species concerned).
They don't mention that, while that's a factor they never will be able to put in
whatever great product they invent, nor can they substitute the special gift
mothers give to their babies *and* babies give to their mothers by offering and
accepting each others' bodies and love!

Gonneke van Veldhuizen, IBCLC, Maaseik, Belgium
http://www.users.skynet.be/eurolac
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