I have a love-hate relationship with the Market company. As a red blooded American investor, I see it as a company poised to 'strike it rich'. As a common layperson, I see the addition of DHA to formula as something that should benefit children. As a physician BF advocate I see them as a huge issue that we must deal with while we do our work promoting BF to mothers and families. We all know that BM is more than just cows milk with additives, but the general population is only going to hear the future marketing push that formula now has this wonderful other added ingredient DHA/ARA and that is now better than ever. The public is going to think that formula is more close than ever to BM, heck most of the population already put formula and BM on the same level, after this 'new and improved' version comes out the many more of the public will think formula is 'just as good as' or even better than BM. I think we have to prepare for this onslaught of future advertising, we have got to learn to place our own spin on the BM message so that our small voices will not be lost in the multimillion dollar advertising promotions that the formula companies are going to put behind this latest addition. I would be willing to bet good money that the formula companies are already spending huge sums of money developing focus groups, advertising messages and promotional campaigns to get the message of DHA/ARA to the consumers and professionals once this is approved as an additive to formula. I think the one issue the FDA and companies are having to deal with is; are they going to make it a requirement to add DHA, or are they going to market it as another type of formula to their product line. This presents a huge ethical dilemma for them. If the addition of DHA to formula makes it that much better, but increases the cost of it, can they ethically still sell another version of the formula that does not have the additive and there fore is a lower cost. If the cost of DHA formula is more, will all the WIC clinics not use this higher price formula as their stock formula and therefore deny a potential benefit to the very population of kids that probably needs it the most. I predict this DHA additive issue will be a huge one in the future. We are going to have to work to develop OUR DHA message just like the formula companies are working at developing theirs. Of course I [and everybody else of Lactnet too] know that BM is more than just milk with DHA that there are all the WBC and immunity factors in BM that are not in formula, but our patients still don't comprehend this message as well. The non-BF mother doesn't understand the difference of closeness and bonding that BF gives the BF dyad. These are some of the items that we must use to educate the public and our patients that BM still is by far the Best Food for infants. That just gave me an idea for a marketing idea: Breast Feeding = BF = Best Food too bad I can't copyright this. Jon Ahrendsen, MD FAAFP Clarion, Iowa *********************************************** The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html