ARSENIC "LACED BABY" FOODS?-ALARMING SITUATION?

Food industry these days are facing multiple challenges from many quarters and the most serious issue concerns the real mindset of the captains of food industry vis-a-vis consumer welfare. While there is widespread view that food industry is playing only lip sympathy to consumer safety without really caring about the same, the situation is further complicated by the ever expanding knowledge about the food that makes the life of the industry more miserable. Recent findings by Swedish food scientists that baby foods fed to young infants of less than 6 months in Europe contain deadly trace minerals like Arsenic are startling indeed. Industry cannot be faulted entirely because they have been following well laid down standards which now are being challenged.

The limits of poisonous metals like Arsenic, Lead, Cadmium etc present in foods have been set a few years ago without much of a thought about their impact on young infants. Breast feeding, considered most desirable way of protecting the health of the baby, has become the standard norm for mothers and since mother has the necessary wherewithal to filter these poisonous minerals, baby can be expected to have zero exposure to them. However industrially processed baby foods, made from raw materials coming from different sources with varying content of heavy metals, cannot escape being tainted to some extent and such products cannot stand in comparison to breast milk. The main concern is that infants up to six months age depend heavily on milk based foods and if breast milk is not available they have to depend on the commercial products exposing them to poisonous minerals continuously with enormous damage potential.

That almost all major manufacturers of baby foods have been cited for presence of Arsenic and other heavy minerals is a cause for great concern. It is a good thing that safety agencies in Europe have woken up to this new development and probably new norms will be evolved on a priority basis. While Arsenic can cause significant DNA damage, Cadmium is implicated in neurological and kidney damage. Rice has been found to be the main culprit as far as Arsenic is concerned and since manufacturers were focusing on keeping this mineral at levels less than stipulated under law, infant foods based on rice invariably have presence of Arsenic. It is only now industry is being asked to strive to eliminate Arsenic altogether which may not be easy. Procuring rice from sources where Arsenic level is very low, may be the only option for the industry.

To read the conclusions of the Swedish researchers is indeed scary and according to them feeding infants twice a day on manufactured baby foods such as rice porridge can increase their exposure to arsenic by up to fifty times when compared to breast feeding alone. Exposure to other toxic metals such as cadmium, can increase by up to 150 times in some of the foods, while lead increase may be up to eight times more. With the recent Tsunami disaster in Japan and the collapse of two of the nuclear reactors releasing deadly radiation all around, further problem may await the industry. It may be desirable for FAO and WHO to undertake urgent studies immediately as to how agricultural crops are going to be affected by the radiation leak. Many countries including India have put an embargo on import of any food from Japan, fearing for the worst though Japan is not a major exporter of foods in the global market.

One of the favorable outcomes of the above findings may be creation of increased awareness amongst mothers about the risks involved in rearing their infants on commercial products while they possess the needed "elixir of life" in the form of breast milk.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

THE "CRAZY" ICE CREAM-HOW ABOUT ITS SAFETY?

A recent report about development of an ice cream type product from human milk in the UK has raised many questions regarding the ethical, legal and safety aspects of peddling such a product in the open market. No doubt this product will have many takers because human milk is supposed to have many advantages as compared to normal dairy milk in terms of nutrition and health benefits. Massive promotion of of breast feeding at least till about 12 months of baby's life has further given an aura to the human milk. The fact that human milk is not freely available makes it all the more desirable like the mythological "forbidden fruit"! The innovators who mooted the idea, developed the product and introduced it in the market, had to discontinue the product at least temporarily till the food safety authorities wanted it to be tested and assessed for any potential safety hazards.

Human milk is a precious commodity and a baby's survival and active development depend very much on breast feeding. Though some mothers do wean away their babies from breast milk due to some reasons or the other, a vast majority do nurse their babies with religious fervor to ensure their even and robust development. If this is so the very concept of any commercial product derived from human milk cannot have a sustainable source for making the project financially viable. According to the innovators their initial product offering was based on donations of breast milk received from volunteers though it is not clear as to the motivation of these mothers in parting with this precious fluid. Probably extenuating circumstances could have persuaded these mothers to make such donations with a perceived sense of commitment to help fellow citizens in a small way.

An important issue that cropped up during the marketing of human milk derived ice cream was whether the mothers were screened for any diseases, especially viral ones, which could be transmitted to others through the breast milk. Dairy milk industry is so well organized that every drop of milk marketed can be traced to the source for taking remedial action in the event of any communicable disease caused by it. The health authorities are to be lauded for becoming alert as soon as the product went on sale and subjecting the product to tests for hepatitis. How ever the larger question still remains unanswered and that is how regular testing can be organized for such a low volume product industry. Besides there are no well laid down standards for the product and no one is sure how much superior such a product would be to the traditional dairy based ice cream products. How far some of the unique biological substances that distinguish human milk from dairy milk will remain active after the processing is another critical issue.

What is interesting is the reported readiness by more than 200 mothers to donate their milk for making ice cream, though the manufacturer swears by the "donation" story. If an industry based on human milk is allowed to be established, what would be its repercussions on the society? Will it be like the "blood donation" industry where pecuniary benefits do play a part in maintaining the stock in many blood banks? Will the poor be attracted to sell their milk, starving their own children, for making an extra buck that may put the life of the children in great jeopardy? What is the motivation for the crazy consumers who do not mind paying a premium price to lay their hands on breast milk ice cream? One really has no answer to these logical questions.

Recent reports about development of GM animals for yielding milk similar to that of humans again raises perturbing questions regarding the direction of scientific research which can cause unknown miseries to millions of people in this universe. There are many, many areas of food research that cry for attention which can benefit common man and it is better that food scientists concentrate their energy in these fields for most wide spread benefits.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

ACADEMIC PROFICIENCY-MOTHERS BEWARE!

There was a time when parents were too much obsessed with the performance of their 'sons' in the school but with girls proving to be as much intelligent and carrier oriented as boys, the distinction between the gender is fast disappearing. Some of the high performing women in the global landscape are inspirational models for girls for achieving fame and glory in their life time. What factors decide, when a child is born, about its academic brilliance or otherwise? Is there any way one can foresee the future of that child? Probably to day's knowledge is inadequate to predict the future development of a child with any degree of accuracy. It is another matter that many parents rush to an astrologer to cast the horoscope of the child and get to know the its future based on planetary positions at the time of birth.

Mother's milk is known to be advantageous for babies especially to protect it from infections. Innumerable benefits of breast feeding can form a long list but it needs mention here when the subject is discussed. These include higher visual acuity, fewer episodes of year infections, less orthodontic problems, lesser instances of tonsillectomies, no upper respiratory infections, low cholesterol build up, fewer GI infections, reduced food allergies, less stress on kidneys, no appendicitis risk, lesser chances of kidney infections, lesser possibilities of development of arthritis, no eczema problem, no obesity and freedom from constipation. Thousands of scientific studies have confirmed the above attributes to the practice of breast feeding.

Through out history, mammals have practiced feeding of their off springs from their mammalian glands till the babies are weaned away. During thousands of years of human history, breast feeding was practiced till the child grows up to 7-8 years. Till the discovery of fire and domesticated production of food grains. many primates fed their babies till the eruption of the first molar tooth around the age of 5.5-6 years. To day this has come down to 6-9 months because of the pressures of modern living. Even to day Australian aborigines feed their off springs for 2-3 years, Greenlanders 3-4 years, Hawaiians 5 years and Inuits 7 years. Average interval between feeding is 24 to 80 minutes and WHO recommends 8-12 nursing over a period of 24 hours.

During feeding, first few mouthful of milk baby sucks, has less fat which increases towards the final stage of feeding. If nursing is cut short, baby does not get the best quality milk containing higher fat that is critical for many growth and development functions. Cholecystokinin (CCK), a hormone secreted in the breast milk during sucking, induces sleep in the baby as well as the mother, considered essential for the well being of both. It reaches it peak at the end of the feeding first and then again peaks 30-60 minutes after feeding. CCK is involved in fat absorption in the intestine and baby gets the full benefits of the milk fat when its level is high. According to experts a feeding period of 2.5 years is ideal to get maximum benefit of breast feeding. Milk supply problem starts after 3 months when milk producing prolactin hormone level goes down and postpartum autocrine takes over in controlling supply. Prolactin receptors can be developed to higher levels by frequent feeding during the first few months.

During the first two years of a child's 'life, the brain grows rapidly and its every day's experience shapes the brain development. Brain cells, the neurons multiply and connect with each other until the brain circuitry resembles a mass of tangled wires. More frequent ingestion of milk and its faster digestion properties facilitate faster and more extensive connections amongst neurons. Probably this explains why breast fed children as they grow possess greater IQ as compared to bottle fed counterparts to the extent 7-10 on the IQ scale. Such children, almost 90% of them get higher grades in the schools and they are likely to climb the social ladder better. Breast milk is rich in Taurine, an amino acid, important in development of brain and eyes. Omega-3 fatty acids and galactose derived from lactose in the milk are also important for brain development. Docosahexanoic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid is present at high levels in children fed on breast milk while the cholesterol present in the milk has critical role in building nerve tissues in the brain.

As an epilog it can be said that those mothers, who missed the pleasure and satisfaction of breast-feeding of their children to make them better performers, can think of making their daughters adopt the practice of breast feeding, post partem, for 2 years or more or at least for 9 months,to make their grand children healthy and super performers. We, at least, owe this to the future generation!

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/