China milk crisis boosts breastfeeding campaign

By Francis Allan L. Angelo

THE formula milk crisis in China once again proves that breast milk is best for your babies.

Department of Health (DOH-6) officer-in-charge Ariel Valencia said their campaign to promote breastfeeding among Filipino mothers got a boost from the ban on China-made infant formula milk and other milk-based products.

“It’s a blessing in disguise for our campaign. Somehow, the China milk crisis stressed our point that breastfeeding is still best for our babies. There is no substitute for a mother’s milk because it is the most complete and safest food we could give our infants,” Valencia said.

Valencia said the China milk crisis should make consumers more wary of the quality and safety of the food they buy.

The DOH official said they will continue their breastfeeding campaign in the light of the China milk crisis.

“Somehow, breastfeeding will become part of our culture because of our advocacy,” Valencia said.

In Manila, Ma. Inez Fernandez, executive director of child care advocacy group Arugaan, said milk controversy in China is only one of the many proofs that milk formula or artificial milk “will not guarantee you food safety at all.”

Fernandez said that before China discovered that Sanlu and other Chinese milk products contained the toxic chemical melamine, there were several top-branded milk products around the world that were ordered recalled.

“Because the milk industry’s technology doesn’t guarantee a 100 percent sterilization,” she said, adding that top milk brands from the around were ordered recalled from 2000 to 2008 because of “industrial errors.”

Fernandez said the microorganism called enterobacter sakazakii, present in several formula milk products, is allegedly a main cause of sepsis or blood poisoning, which kills infants.

A United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) document called “By the number,” said other reasons of milk product recalls around the world are the detection of bacteria, microorganisms, and glass particles.

Meanwhile, Valencia said they are waiting for the specific milk brands banned by the Bureau of Food and Drugs.

Valencia said they are having difficulties in monitoring China milk and milk-based products because there is no specific list. (With reports from abs-cbnnews.com)