The World Health Organization (WHO) has just released a 28-page document containing guidelines for the safe preparation, storage, and handling of powdered infant formula. It appears that breastfeeding just got easier!

Concerns about powdered infant formula date back to 2002, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the recall of 1.5 million cans of powdered infant formula manufactured by Wyeth Nutritionals, due to contamination by Enterobacter sakazakii. The recall was one in a series of actions by the FDA in response to the death of a premature infant in a Tennessee hospital in April 2001 from meningitis caused by E. sakazakii. For more details on subsequent actions by the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, see the November 2002 issue of Feeding Times.

Recognizing that powdered infant formula is not sterile and can become contaminated with harmful bacteria, the World Health Organization, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, developed guidelines for its safe use.

A key recommendation is the use of sterile liquid formula for infants at high risk for infection, including premature and sick infants. If sterile liquid formula is not available, powdered formula should be reconstituted with water that has been heated to at least 70 degrees Centigrade or 158 degrees Fahrenheit to reduce the risk of illness.

P.S. To avoid having to heat water - BREASTFEED.