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A lack of public service is the problem

By Li Xing (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-09-25 08:04

In the wake of the powdered milk scandal, young parents all over China face an agonizing problem: what next?

Now that 22 brands of infant formula have been found to contain melamine, what are they to feed their babies?

Government agencies could perform a real public service by offering dependable advice to these parents, but they have yet to do it.

The State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA), in particular, does not seem to be very concerned with the scandal. The latest bulletins on its website have little to say about powdered milk or baby formula.

The Ministry of Health does tell parents what the symptoms of kidney stones are and when to take their babies to the hospital for treatment. Again, however, it has little to say about what to feed babies, now that tainted brands of infant formula have been taken off store shelves.

One pediatrician on the ministry's site says that breast milk is best for babies, and adds that some 80 brands of powdered milk still on the shelves have been found to be safe.

By way of comparison, the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition under the United States Food and Drug Administration has a special chapter on infant formula. In addition to regulations and guidance for the industry, the center's website addresses "frequently asked questions" ranging from "What is infant formula?" to "How to report a problem".

Chinese websites are no more helpful than the government agencies. Most are hosted by commercial concerns or Internet portals and lack any real authority. One site advocates formula as an essential supplement for babies who don't get enough breast milk; another warns that formula does not provide all the nutrients a baby needs.

Some of this may be good advice, but it is impossible to know. None of it comes from leading pediatricians or other medical authorities. Young parents, it seems, are on their own when it comes to deciding what to feed their babies.

Sales of baby formula have increased by leaps and bounds in recent years, but when it comes to product information, parents get nothing but hype. Doctors, who have worked day and night to treat victims of the current scandal, could help to prevent a recurrence by providing parents with reliable advice.

In some ways, we have come full circle. Now that the myths about formula have been debunked, young parents must search for the best possible supplementary foods for their children, as their parents did before them.

I remember leafing through a guidebook on health published more than 30 years ago by the People's Health Publishing House. It devoted a full page to nutrition for newborns and infants. As a girl, I helped to prepare food for my younger sister, and my mother had me follow these suggestions.

My husband and I followed the same routine when we brought up our daughter.

I still believe that babies can start eating egg yolk, thick rice congee, minced fruit and vegetable, or even tofu when they are between 4 and 6 months old. At 7 to 9 months, they can try noodles, bread, biscuits, eggs and minced meat. Between 10 and 12 months, they can have rice, steamed buns, ground meat and vegetables.

After they celebrate their first birthday, children should eat three meals a day, in addition to snacks and 500g or more of milk, according to the guidebook.

Chinese parents will find a way to get the best possible nutrition for their children, as they always have. They could use more good advice, however.

E-mail: lixing@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 09/25/2008 page8)