Regulating Infant Formula

Most of us assume that our government or some international agency is monitoring the quality of infant formula. Government agencies sometimes raise alarms when a batch of formula is seriously contaminated, but they are not monitoring the product to make sure the product helps to make your children as healthy as possible.

Manufacturers keep coming up with newer and more expensive versions of infant formula, but no one really knows how they will affect your children's health. And no one is monitoring this!

No one compares the healthcare costs linked to different methods of feeding.

No one is providing the information that you or any healthcare worker need to make an informed choice between breastfeeding and feeding with infant formula.

More than half the infant formula used in the U.S. is provided by the government, at no cost to the families. The government monitors the economic impact on the manufacturers, but not the impact on the health of children. It has been estimated that more than 900 children in the U.S. die each year because they have been fed with infant formula. The large-scale distribution of free formula could end up being very costly to both governments and families, but that is not monitored.

This book covers:

-The regulatory framework -Formula's impact on health -The assumption of safety of infant formula -Outdated and counterfeit infant formula -Additives -Nutritional adequacy -Distribution by governments -Strengthening regulations and future work

If you are a parent trying to decide whether to breastfeed or formula feed your baby, or if you are a healthcare provider who educates parents on feeding choices, you need to read this book!