Deploring deliberate contamination of foods intended for consumption by infants, UN agencies have propounded breast feeding as an alternative to baby formula milk.
Noting that global health authorities agree that breast milk is better for infant feeding than any formula, the UNICEF and the WHO Offices in China have stressed that no other formula contains the perfect combination of proteins, carbohydrates and fats for proper growth and brain development.
“No infant formula contains antibodies to protect against infection as breast milk does. No infant formula is as safe to administer as breast milk is. And no infant formula is as affordable to families as breast milk is, providing the perfect nutrition for infants while protecting them from infections,” they said.
Ideally, all infants should be fed exclusively with breast milk for the first six months of life, receiving thereafter adequate and safe complementary foods while continuing to breastfeed up to at least the age of two years.
Working mothers who cannot breastfeed during work hours can express breast milk and save it in a clean container for feeding the child whilst she is away, they added. Breast milk can be stored safely for up to eight hours at room temperature.
Following four infant deaths in China and 53,000 others falling ill after consuming the Melamine-tainted baby formula, the UN agencies have asked Beijing to implement stringent measures for better regulation of foods.
“We are confident that swift and firm actions are being taken by China’s food safety authorities to investigate this incident fully,” the statement said.