Manufacturers of infant formula have a long and sordid reputation for engaging in deceptive marketing techniques and advertising campaigns. So it should come as little surprise to breastfeeding advocates that formula companies are once again being challenged for deceiving the public. What may be surprising, though, is that this time around it is a watchdog organization for family farmers that set the critical ball rolling.

The Cornucopia Institute, a Wisconsin-based farm and food policy research group that promotes sustainability and advocates for economic justice for family farmers, joined forces with NABA (The National Alliance for Breastfeeding Advocacy) in releasing a report late last month called “Replacing Mother – Imitating Human Breast Milk in the Laboratory.”

Cornucopia began their inquiry based on the discovery that certain omega fatty acids were being added to organic infant formulas, in violation of national organic standards. As they dug deeper, they discovered that the same additives—now found in about 90 percent of infant formulas—were making some babies quite sick: explosive diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain and other gastrointestinal problems. Yet the formula products contain no warning labels to inform parents of the risk.

DHA (an omega-3 fatty acid) and ARA, an omega-6 fatty acid are both naturally present in human milk and essential for proper growth and development. But in the case of infant formula, the report asserts, the oils are extracted from fermented algae and fungus, with the use of the synthetic solvent hexane (a neurotoxic chemical that violates national organic standards). Contrary to marketing claims, these oils are a far cry from those found in mothers’ milk.

Basing their conclusions upon reading through hundreds of adverse reactions reports filed with the FDA, Charlotte Vallaeys, Farm and Food Policy Analyst with the Cornucopia Institute and lead author of the report, explains: “We investigated how a toxic chemical is used as processing agents in the manufacturing process, the inadequate testing for safety, and most importantly, how some infants are experiencing serious adverse reactions from consuming formula supplemented with these oils.”

In a subsequent telephone interview, Vallaeys adds: “Right now, if a parent is giving DHA formula, they have no way of knowing that there is even a possibility that their baby can’t digest these oils and could develop diarrhea. There is no way of knowing that switching to a non-DHA formula could potentially eliminate their problems…It was shocking to us that so many of these reports had come into the FDA and nobody really knew about it.”

The FDA has the authority to require formula makers to put a warning label on their products. The Cornucopia Institute and the National Alliance for Breastfeeding Advocacy therefore have filed a petition with the FDA, urging them to require a label notice for all infant food products containing DHA and ARA oils. Consumers are also encouraged to contact the FDA commissioner via e-mail or U.S. mail: Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach, Food and Drug Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20857. A sample letter is provided for your convenience.

In addition, parents whose babies have experience negative reactions are encouraged to report their experience to the FDA’s Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program.