Michelle,
You wrote, "If current infant formulas are THAT good (and they are-according
to the advertisements!) then why would they go to THIS length to produce
"human milk??????"

I believe that the Infant Formula Act in the '80's required that the infant
formula industry use human milk as the gold standard. For years, the infant
formula companies have paid for research on human milk.  (Nestle has published
volumes)They know the value of human milk.  The patents and the constant changes
in compositions of infant formula means that the companies recognize the
shortcomings of their products. They state those problems in many of their
patents.  There are a few human milk researchers who are the inventors of patents for
infant formula.  As I have said before human milk research and the infant
formula industry is bound together financially.  It is a partnership with mixed
blessings.

You wrote, "Could this be a good thing?  Sure-just as formula sometimes is-in
instances where mother really CAN'T breastfeed, but that market slice won't
be large enough to recoup the expense of the R&D, patents, production, nor will
it meet the needs of formula companies pockets. "Can't" will continue to be
"Won't."

If I understand what you are saying, your perspective is that you see this as
an impossibility.  I really understand that position.  This is a patent
application and not yet a patent.  So it certainly is debatable whether it will
ever become a patent.  And if it becomes a patent, will it ever be used??  Yet I
would like to offer another perspective on this.  The market slice for mothers
who really CAN'T breastfeed is huge.  From an LC's viewpoint, most mothers
can breastfeed.  But the reality is that interventions (or should we say
marketing tactics) at birth and beyond has created throughout the world a demand for
infant formula.

The infant formula industry has an investment in creating or magnifying that
need.  HIV/AIDS would be a good example of how the industry has used a health
care problem to sway public health authorities.  The end result has been that
public health has invested itself in concerns about transmission only and not
infant health outcomes.  Thus the risks of infant formula have been minimized,
glossed over.  The end result is that many more infants around the world have
and will die from artificial feeding.


Toxins in breastmilk is another issue that is currently being magnified by
this industry.   Research on this issue needs to be carefully evaluated by the
breastfeeding community, before we all jump on the bandwagon.  We are willing
to build/support labs around the country to test human milk for toxins but not
willing to build/support human milk banking. This seems to reflect our fears.
Yet, our society sees no need to test individual cans of infant formula.
Obviously we have more faith in the man-made product.  Most people have no fear
about using infant formula.  We accept its safety without proof.  But human
milk has to prove itself over and over again and still we have doubts.

On this list, I am often astounded at the number of health issues that seem
to suggest that more and more women can't physically breastfeed (obesity, etc).
 We seem to be medicalizing breastfeeding, just as childbirth has been overly
medicalized.  The impact will be what?  More women breastfeeding or less
women breastfeeding?   I think the market slice of women who can't breastfeed is
big.  And it can get bigger, depending on how critically we, LC's accept or
reject research and its funding.
Valerie W. McClain, IBCLC

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

To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail
To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest)
To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
All commands go to [log in to unmask]

The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(R)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html