FDA Reports Indicate Infants Sickened from Algae/Fungal-Based Nutritional Supplements
CORNUCOPIA, Wis., April 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Cornucopia Institute has filed a legal complaint with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) demanding that the agency enforce the organic regulations prohibiting toxic solvents from being used in the production of organic food. Cornucopia, a nonprofit food and farm policy research group, found that baby formula and other food manufacturers are using hexane-extracted omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids (DHA/ARA) derived from algae and soil fungus.
Perhaps more startling, through a Freedom of Information request at the FDA, Cornucopia found algal- and fungal-based DHA/ARA have been linked to serious side effects such as virulent diarrhea and vomiting in infants consuming infant formula, many of whom required medical treatment and hospitalization.
“The federal organic regulations very clearly prohibit these oils in organic foods. What we’re seeing is the latest in a long string of USDA actions blatantly catering to industry interests at the expense of consumer safety,” said Mark Kastel, Codirector of the Wisconsin-based Cornucopia Institute. “USDA officials are simply allowing these companies to freely break the organic rules in their pursuit of profit.”
Organic products with the prohibited fatty acid supplements include Horizon Organic milk with DHA and organic infant formulas, including Similac Organic, Earth’s Best, and Bright Beginnings Organic.
Martek Biosciences Corporation produces these DHA and ARA supplements. They are extracted from fermented algae and soil fungus with the use of a highly explosive neurotoxic petrochemical solvent, hexane. The National Organic Program strictly prohibits its use in the processing of organic foods and ingredients.
“Only a change in the regulations would make these oils legal in organic foods, and a regulation change requires citizen input,” said David Cox, a lawyer with the Columbus, Ohio law firm of Lane, Alton, and Horst.
The addition of DHA and ARA to organic infant formula is especially troublesome considering that they are linked to serious illness in some infants. “From our FDA request, we discovered that scores of parents have notified the FDA that their infants experienced symptoms such as serious cases of diarrhea, vomiting, and extreme gassiness from consuming DHA/ARA formula. These symptoms commonly disappeared as soon as the infants were given regular formula without these supplements,” said Charlotte Vallaeys, author of Cornucopia’s comprehensive report Replacing Mother – Imitating Human Breast Milk in the Laboratory.
For more, go to HYPERLINK “http://www.cornucopia.org/” http://www.cornucopia.org/.
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Source: The Cornucopia Institute
CONTACT: Charlotte Vallaeys, +1-978-369-6409, or Mark Kastel,
+1-608-625-2042, both of the Cornucopia Institute
Web Site: http://www.cornucopia.org/
