The CEO of the UK’s only producer of infant feed formula milk has attacked a ‘conspiracy of silence’ preventing open debate around the ‘breast is best’ advice for mothers who can’t, don’t or won’t breastfeed.
Ross McMahon, CEO of Kendal Nutricare based in the Lake District, also called for a public inquiry by Public Health England to include all baby formula milk ingredients in its review of ways to tackle child obesity. This follows recent cases of babies having adverse reactions to one of the biggest brands on the market.
He said: “Everyone agrees that breast is best, particularly in the first six months of life. But there has been a virtual conspiracy of silence around what the alternatives are for mothers who for whatever reason don’t breastfeed”.
Government Statistics:
“Government statistics show that less than half of new mothers are still breastfeeding after eight weeks. With some 700,000 births a year that’s an awful lot of new mums who need open and honest advice on the alternatives. There is not a level playing field when it comes to the quality of formula baby milk currently on the UK market. Indicating there needs to be more transparency around ingredients and health implications”.
“Furthermore, Public Health England has issued advice on how we should be tackling the country’s growing obesity problem, particularly around correct feeding from birth. Therefore we need a full public inquiry into this critical issue.”
With social media platforms buzzing with reports of Aptamil’s revised formula potentially causing adverse reactions in infants. Concerns over the product’s impact on young babies have surfaced. The alteration was highlighted by First Steps Nutrition Trust, an independent public health nutrition charity on July 12, 2018. Primarily involving the whey-to-casein ratio, now adjusted to 50:50 from the previous 60:40. This change reflects a decreased amount of whey utilised in the manufacturing process. This potentially affects infants’ stooling patterns and digestion.
Kendal Nutricare wants to ensure industry food giants are not exempt from examination as they push through price increases of more than 12% to consumers.
Why Kendamil?
Kendamil is made in Kendal. With all milk sourced from UK dairy herds. Ross concluded: “We are fully supportive of breastfeeding. Every mother’s breastmilk is like a fingerprint – completely unique to her. However, for the many thousands of mothers who are unable to or simply don’t want to breastfeed, we aim to provide a formula as naturally close to breastmilk as possible. For us that means no palm oil and using mammals’ milk fat with all the nutrients of full cream.”
Ross McMahon has been invited to address the All Party Parliamentary Group: Infant Feeding to discuss his concerns.
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