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Proposed Law Promotes Breastfeeding in Israeli Hospitals

July 26, 2011 by 38 Comments
new baby in hospital

Likud MK Danny Danon has introduced a law preventing formula companies from advertising in maternity wards. If passed by the full Knesset, hospitals will no longer accept free formula and other gifts from manufacturers. Currently companies compete for the chance to "donate" formula and valuable equipment to the hospital nursery, in exchange for exclusive distribution in that hospital. The proposed law also requires mothers (not fathers) to sign a consent form before their babies get formula. The formula will have only an identification tag and no brand name or logo. Finally, manufacturers must sell formula to hospitals only at a predetermined wholesale price with no discounts. This … [Read more...]

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Haredi Public Shortchanged by Formula Freebies

July 2, 2011 by 28 Comments
IMG_2381.jpg

Q: How was the haredi public mekupach (shortchanged)? A: Because Superpharm, the drugstore chain, included only regular dairy infant formula in its giveaway for new parents. Haredi parents require mehadrin formula, produced under a higher level of kashrut supervision. Readers reported this "injustice" to the newspaper Hashavua, which contacted the formula manufacturer. In response the company offered to send a coupon for a free 900-gram package of mehadrin formula to anyone who left a name and address with the customer service office. I think the formula company got a good deal. With any luck, it will be seen as a champion of downtrodden haredi consumers. It also gets a list of … [Read more...]

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In Which I Meet and Talk with the Mom of a Remedia Baby

November 24, 2010 by 16 Comments

I was talking with the mother of my daughter's friend the other day. It turns out that her daughter drank Remedia soy formula from the age of 3 to 6 months in 2003, until she learned that the formula lacked Vitamin B1. In the video I describe how the mother chose that particular formula, and the effect on her daughter.  At the end I add some comments about the Remedia scandal. … [Read more...]

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3 Times More ADHD in Kids Fed Soy Formula, Says Health Ministry

November 16, 2010 by 23 Comments
varieties of raw soybeans.

In my last post, I wrote about the problems faced by children who drank faulty Remedia soy formula as infants. It turns out that the Remedia children have a high rate of ADHD, three times higher than the general population. This came out in a study conducted by the Israeli Health Ministry, amid accusations that the ministry has been stalling about publishing their results. What is really surprising, though, is that the levels were equally high in all children fed soy formula. The health ministry studied 500 5-year-olds. Children who had drunk Remedia formula without B1 for at least a month were compared to children who had other brands of soy formula, cow's milk formula, or were … [Read more...]

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Reports: Widespread Damage to Remedia Babies 7 Years Later

November 16, 2010 by 6 Comments
signs in Haifa hospital

In November 2003 three Israeli babies died after having been fed Remedia soy formula, which turned out not to contain the essential vitamin B1. Dozens of other children suffered severe damage, with a third dying just two weeks ago. (The article that mentioned the recent death said it was the third one, but other sources from 2003 quote 3.) There have been recent developments in this story. The “Remedia children” have turned 7. The Globes business magazine contains a long expose about a large group of children who suffer from health and developmental problems including epilepsy, hypothermia, speech delays, and fine-motor delays.  Here’s a translation of a shorter article about the … [Read more...]

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Breastfeeding and Introduction of Solid Foods: New Guidelines from Israel Health Ministry

May 14, 2009 by 8 Comments

This week the Israel health ministry issued new guidelines on introduction of complementary foods (solids) to breastfeeding babies. Unfortunately, the media got hold of the information early and published misleading information. There is nothing especially new or radical in the guidelines, which are based on information from the World Health Organization. The main difference is in the statement that the first taste of complementary foods may begin at four months instead of six. In other words, exclusive breastfeeding should begin from birth and continue for at least four to six months. Mothers can give tastes of solids, including meat, fruits, vegetables, and grains containing gluten, … [Read more...]

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Supply and Demand in Breastfeeding at Green Prophet

May 6, 2009 by 1 Comment

I have a guest post up at Green Prophet, Breastfeeding and "Supply and Demand." If you know anyone worried about not having enough milk, this is a good place to start. … [Read more...]

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Guest Post: Breastfeeding and the Working Mother

February 23, 2009 by 27 Comments
Ariela and Daughter Nurse Babies

Commenter Ariela shares her experiences as a nursing mother of five. This is a picture of me and my daughter Noa nursing our babies. I am combining two of my greatest pleasures, reading and breastfeeding. One of the things I love about breastfeeding it that it "allows" a busy mother of 5 to take a few minutes "off" to sit down and read. I have had the privilege of breastfeeding 5 children. I did this while working full-time. I am writing to tell other women about my experience and give hope to others trying to combine work and exclusive breastfeeding. Some of my solutions are expensive. However, baby formula is also expensive. Moreover, breastfed babies are healthier; this means that … [Read more...]

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Why Formula Marketing in Israeli Hospitals is Bad for Babies

December 23, 2008 by 39 Comments

My post on Green Prophet yesterday turned out different than expected:Why Baby's First Gift Shouldn't Be Formula from the HospitalBy Hannah KatsmanSoft drinks. Fast foods. Cigarettes.Companies that market these products are well-known for targeting children and teens in order to develop “brand loyalty.”But the campaign to capture the taste buds of future consumers begins even earlier–in the hospital nursery, where formula companies use aggressive methods to ensure that babies’ first taste of artificial milk comes early and bears the name of their company.They know that parents are most likely to continue feeding the brand served to babies in the hospital.What’s the problem with … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Babies, Breastfeeding, Formula, Health, Israeli Living, Junk Food, Marketing

Young and old in Ramat Gan

September 9, 2008 by 14 Comments

Haveil Havalim #181  is hosted at Tzipiyah. Now that my little one entered gan we are free on Fridays, the first day of the Israeli weekend. We decided to go out for breakfast, using the coupon my husband received as a birthday present from work. It's not easy to get out of the house for a morning alone; his birthday is in May, and we used the coupon from 2007.The list of participating restaurants included two in Ramat Gan. The first one, in the lobby of a mall, featured deafening music.  I snapped a few shots as we walked to the second one. The sign below reads that King David Park is named after David, King of Israel, father of the House of David dynasty, 1004-964 B.C.E. You can read … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Breastfeeding, Formula, Israeli Living
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