August 08, 2012

Secretary for Food & Health Dr Ko Wing-man has advised parents not to feed their babies two types of infant formulae, which do not meet World Health Organisation recommendations.
 
Speaking at a press conference today, Dr Ko said the iodine intake from Wakado and Morinaga infant formulae is below a third of the WHO’s reference intake if parents feed their babies according to the recommendation on the package.
 
He urged parents to stop feeding the products to their children, as iodine deficiency may cause thyroid hormone deficiency and affect brain development.
 
Parents should use other brands, or adopt breastfeeding, he said, adding breast milk is the best food for babies.
 
Parents can consider thyroid tests if they are concerned about their babies’ health.
 
The Government will provide blood tests for babies up to eight months old at designated Maternal & Child Health Centres from August 10.
 
The Department of Health has set up a hotline (2125 1111) for enquiries. Information on brands of infant formulae will be uploaded to the Centre for Food Safety website.
 
Dr Ko said the Government has contacted the importers, who will voluntarily recall the two products. The Government will strengthen surveillance to make sure the products are not sold on the market.
 
The Centre for Food Safety recently studied 14 popular brands of infant formula. The content of energy and 33 essential nutrients as defined in the Codex Standard for Infant Formula and Formulas for Special Medical Purposes Intended for Infants were measured.
 
Six products were found to contain iodine levels lower than the codex prescribed requirements. Two of them were confirmed to have a low level of iodine that could cause health concerns for infants solely fed on the products.
 
It will speed up the tests on other infant formulae sold on the market. Tests on products intended for babies up to six months old will be completed by year's-end, and those on products for babies six to 30 months old will be completed in the first half of next year.
 
Dr Ko said the Government is preparing to regulate the nutritional composition of infant formulae and nutrition labelling.