Children’s staple

Certain mothers are worried about the voluntary recall announced by Nestlé beginning last month of several batches of baby formula due to possible toxin contamination.

- ANA MARIE PAMINTUAN

Among the 49 countries covered by the recall is the Philippines, where Nestlé advised consumers to check the batches in the packaging of its NAN Optipro and NANKID Optipro.

NAN Optipro for children aged 0 to 6 months costs from P2,800 to P2,900 for a 1.4-kg pack in major supermarket chains.

That’s beyond the reach of mothers in low-income households, who rely on breast milk to feed their infants. Breast milk is in fact healthier — if the mother herself is healthy, gets proper nourishment and produces enough milk long enough before a child shifts to formula.

Unfortunately, an undernourished mother rarely has enough breast milk for her infant. When the breast milk runs out, impoverished mothers use soup from boiled moringa or malunggay leaves as substitute.

Others dilute condensed milk in water, thinking that the baby will like the taste. The high sugar content of condensed milk of course makes it a rather unhealthy substitute for breast milk.

Some mothers have been caught shoplifting baby formula from supermarket shelves. This is the reason why baby formula and even powdered milk for older children are often stored behind locked shelves or in supermarket sections near cashiers.

Due to undernourishmentoften beginning at conception in a malnourished mother’s womb — stunting has become a serious problem in our country. This puts the child at a disadvantage from the get-go as a learner.