Amid a nationwide shortage of baby-formula and price increases from private online sellers, a Congress candidate suggests parents make their own, Challenging federal regulations and countless doctors who say homemade concoctions can harm babies.
“Who cares if (the Food and Drug Administration) says don’t make your own formula – they are doing nothing to fix formula shortages! And – our kids need quality formulas,” Tweeted by Liz Joy, the only Republican in the running for the Capital District.
The FDA claims that homemade formula can be easily contaminated and does not contain vital nutrients that babies need, both of which can be life-threatening.
Mother and grandmother Joy, 53, said she’s never had to make her own formula, but sympathizes with parents who can’t breastfeed or find products like Enfamil or Similac on store shelves.
She told The Post, “Mothers have to feed their babies, and they don’t have time to wait for a week from now for our government to sit down and hear a committee on what they should do.” “
The recipe promoted by Joy comes from parent blog wehavekids.com and lists ingredients as simply evaporated whole milk, water and granulated sugar or Karo syrup. It also states that parents can substitute rice milk for lactose intolerant children as long as they add vitamin drops.
The blog has since removed the recipe from its site.
One such example was seen on Facebook where a Missouri mother posted an old man 1960s DIY RecipesAnd the social media giant labeled it a “missing reference” based on a fact-check from the Poynter Institute.
Homemade formula has been around for generations, long before mass production and government orders, but medical experts say a temporary food shouldn’t be considered anywhere near a good option.
Director of Breast Health and Breastfeeding Medicine at SUNY Upstate Medical University, Dr. Jeanne Charlamb said it’s understandable why people might try making formula at home these days, but it’s not a viable option.
“With homemade formula, if you put in too many nutrients, it can damage the baby’s kidneys and liver,” she said. “There may also be too little iron, too little calcium, too little protein.”
Charlamb said donor milk from a milk bank is the best option and formula feeding may stop after a year.
A nationwide baby formula shortage took shape when Abbott Nutrition halted production at its plant in Michigan after a recall of products after two babies died of bacterial infections. It is not certain whether the bacteria came from the plant, the Associated Press reported.
“I realize that Abbott, one of the largest baby formula plants, had to close, but that was in February,” Joy said. “There’s no reason it should still be closed.”
