Published on The Jakarta Post (http://www.thejakartapost.com)
Commentary: Breast is best: The one milk sure to be clean and healthy-->-->
Emmy Fitri , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta Fri, 09/26/2008 10:56 AM Headlines

Our hearts go out to the babies in China who have died from or been made ill by the prolonged consumption of tainted formula milk. Likewise our deepest sympathy for the moms and dads who must deal with the unbearable losses and blows.
What happened in China is perhaps one of the most harrowing such dramas the world has ever seen: Thousands of children, mostly under two years old, have fallen ill with kidney problems with four deaths already blamed on the toxic milk.
The sheer magnitude of the tainted formula milk powder scandal puts it beyond past rackets China has had with toxic chemicals lacing goods from toys to candies, which have contributed to shaky global trust in China's products, which are everywhere, sprawling across supermarket shelves and stalls in traditional markets.
At home, apart from the China-related products, Indonesia too has seen several -- and repeated -- cases of toxic food, such as the use of formaldehyde, dyes and sodium borate in processed meat products, and even the sale of rotten meat. Although those cases upset the public and slowed down business for mostly medium to small traders, the scandals did not last long, as people would gradually forget about them when the television stopped airing the news and newspapers were thrown into garbage bins.
But take a quick trip back to February this year, when a scientific paper published by researchers from the Bogor Institute of Agriculture aroused public anxiety because it revealed that several brands of formula milk and baby food were contaminated with Enterobacter sakazakii, a dangerous bacteria that attacks the brain and digestion system and in severe cases can lead to death.
The Health Ministry protested against the disclosure for unknown reasons; the one thing that was clear was that the ministry was not pleased with the researchers for announcing such sensitive findings to the public without consulting with the ministry first.
In a defiant response, the ministry ordered the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) to open an investigation into the matter. The end result was predictable: No infant milk products -- those named by the researchers -- were found to be contaminated with Enterobacter sakazakii, which, by the way, pediatricians say does not harm healthy babies.
The conflicting announcements by the leading agriculture institute and the government brought about nothing but public confusion. Whether or not the government and the researchers were doing the right thing, in relation to the case of alleged bacteria-tainted formula milk, it is all passe.
The government's nonchalant reaction to the announcement, however, did lead to a suspicion the government was standing by the companies that produce formula milk.
And now what lesson should Indonesian parents -- and more importantly the government -- learn from the painful blow China has been dealt? Or are there any lessons to learn at all?
The BPOM recently announced it has ordered the withdrawal of Chinese-made dairy products from the shelves on suspicion of melamine contamination. A laboratory investigation is, hopefully, underway and the public can relax once the findings are announced. Let's keep our fingers crossed.
That is the most reasonable way to respond, but even better would be for parents to return to best practice, a legacy from our ancestors. Our babies are not born to cows. They should not be fed cow's milk, especially when it's mixed with toxic chemicals.
And if the government has the courage to maintain its stance on the health sector, which could see it fall out of favor with the big corporate formula milk producers, they should seize the moment to endorse the best feeding practices -- including breast-feeding.
International Breastfeeding Week was in August. In Indonesia, with nearly 45 percent of its population living under the poverty line, breast-feeding babies is often the sole option.
Studies have shown that breast milk saves lives and is the best gift a mother could ever give to her children (which doesn't mean we are to blame mothers who can't breast-feed their babies for health reasons).
Breast-feeding is good because of its guaranteed cleanliness, and even babies from poor families, who run the risk of being undernourished or suffering from malnutrition, can enjoy healthy growth if they are breast-fed.
To breast-feed or not to breast-feed should not be the question anymore. It is only breast-feed.
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Enterobacter Sakazakii reported in Chinese milk products

San Lu milk powder has lethal bacteria
4:00AM Friday Sep 26, 2008By Lincoln Tan
EU bans Chinese milk products
San Lu, part-owned by Fonterra, has been dealt a further blow with reports that lethal bacteria have been found in some of its milk powder.
Fonterra, which owns 43 per cent of San Lu, said it was not aware of the development, which follows an international scandal over baby deaths from the toxic chemical melamine.
"We are not aware of it. We are looking into the accuracy of it," a Fonterra spokeswoman said.
The Gansu Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision in northwest China issued an emergency notice saying San Lu's formulas for older babies contained enterobacter sakazakii as well as melamine, the Lanzhou Morning Post reported.
Described as lethal, enterobacter sakazakii can cause meningitis or severe gut infections and is recognised by the World Health Organisation as a key pathogen that leads to infant mortality.
The newspaper said it was not yet known how or when the bacteria entered the San Lu formula, but there had been no reports of sickness or deaths.
Last night it was also reported that two baby orangutans and a lion cub at the Hangzhou Safari Park near Shanghai had kidney stones after being fed milk powder for more than a year.
The Chinese Government has taken over control of San Lu and shut down its operations. According to a Cabinet investigation, the company had received complaints about its infant formula as early as December but did not alert officials until August 2.
Nitrogen-rich melamine was added to watered-down milk to fool quality checks which often use nitrogen levels to measure the amount of protein in milk.
Melamine has been found in at least two food items here, but the New Zealand Food Safety Authority says there will not be an import ban of dairy products from China. It also said there would be no recall of White Rabbit Creamy Candy, which it tested and found to contain "unacceptable levels" of melamine.
South Korea yesterday joined more than a dozen countries that have banned the import of all products containing Chinese powdered milk after discovering the chemical in some snacks, and the decision not to do the same here has been slammed by the Consumer NZ and Green Party.
China's tainted-milk scandal has killed four babies and made 54,000 ill. "This is not an issue that should be treated lightly," said Green Party health spokeswoman Sue Kedgley. "People's health may be at risk and tip-toeing around the issue in Chinese style is not what is called for."
The US Food and Drug Administration says the tolerable daily intake of melamine is 0.63mg a kg of body weight. This means an adult weighing 60kg can ingest 37.8mg of melamine - or 47 White Rabbit candies - daily without any appreciable health risk.