UK blocks breast-similar claims on infant formulas By Jess Halliday 13/03/2007 - A crackdown by the Food Standards Agency will bar infant formula makers from making claims on products sold in the UK that draw on their similarity to breast milk, to avoid misleading mothers. The FSA is moving to enforce a 1997 update to the 1995 Infant Formula and Follow-on Formula Regulations. However it seems that there has been confusion over what claims are permitted under the annex, as according to a spokesperson for the FSA, an EU clarification was issued last year. The spokesperson stressed that no new law has come into play, but that the government agency and enforcement bodies are making sure that information on labels is compliant with EU legislation. Nonetheless, the enforcement will come as a blow to infant formula makers who have been striving to replicate as closely as possible the nutritional content of natural breast milk so that babies who cannot be breast fed - for whatever reason - are not at a nutritional disadvantage. The strategy has included the addition of omega-3 fatty acids, probiotic bacteria and, in some recent cases, probiotic fibres. While these nutrients do occur in breast milk, Les Bailey, policy expert at LACORS told UK mainstream press that breast milk also contains beneficial antibodies that are not found in infant formula. Claims currently being made on products and marketing materials, which will have to be removed, include: "Now even closer to breast milk" and "Helps to support immunity" on packs of SMA Gold; "Closer than ever to breast milk" on Cow & Gate and Farley's products; and "Supports your baby's immune system" and "The closest to breast milk" on Aptamil First. The rules apply to products intended for use during the first four to six months of a baby's life. The aim, Bailey is quoted as saying, is to ensure that new mothers are not unduly influenced when deciding their feeding practices. "The legislation is framed in such a way that it doesn't matter whether they are correct or not. It is designed to promote breastfeeding." The FSA spokesperson said that the government is not aiming to push breast feeding as the best course of action. "Obviously it is what is right for the parents or individuals," she said. The crackdown also comes in the context of new European legislation on health and nutrition claims on food products aimed at broader categories of consumers, which will come into force this year. The legislation is intended to create a level playing field for products making health claims across the bloc, and to ensure that any claims that are approved have the full weight of science to back them up. http://www.nutraingredients.com/news/ng.asp?n=74928&m=1NIE313&c=ymhgzhkpfeeb tvm http://tinyurl.com/37yaw3 Judy Ritchie *********************************************** Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html Mail all commands to [log in to unmask] To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail To start it again: set lactnet mail (or [log in to unmask]) To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet or ([log in to unmask]) To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]