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Does whole foods sell baby formula


This Cult-Favorite European Baby Formula Brand Is Coming to America

If you’ve perused the international baby formula market in the past few years, you’ve likely heard of Holle. The European brand hadn’t previously been FDA-approved and, therefore, wasn’t sold in America. But it became so popular that many parents used third-party vendors to get their hands on it. Well, here’s some good news: the cult-favorite brand is coming to Whole Foods Markets across the country.

The brand will be distributed through JSG Organics, a distributor of natural food products and the exclusive distributor of Holle in the United States. Holle has been in the organic baby food market for over 85 years, with a mission of offering balanced nutrition through a range of products, including toddler milk drinks, cereals and snacks, as well as fruit and vegetable pouches. The brand, which was founded in Switzerland, is available in over 50 countries, and, starting this month, Holle will be available in American Whole Foods Market stores.

Holle uses ingredients from biodynamic and sustainable farms, and Holle’s Cow and Goat Milk Toddler Drinks boast both nutrition and ease in digestibility. The drinks are non-GMO, pesticide free and have no added sugar, hormones or corn syrup. They offer calcium, iron and vitamins A, C, and D. Plus, recent heavy metal testing of Holle’s products (including the toddler milk drinks) didn’t detect Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead or Mercury.

“We’ve recognized the Holle phenomenon and consumer demand in the United States for many years. As innovators and an industry leader in bringing top of the line products to parents for raising kids, we made it our mission to bring Holle stateside,” Ron Blitzer, CEO of JSG Organics, said in a press release. “We’re passionate about these products and are thrilled to welcome this iconic brand to the states, expanding the Holle footprint and giving families access [to] the highest quality essentials.”

“We are honored to be the first grocer in the U. S. to introduce our customers to Holle Cow and Goat Milk Toddler Drinks,” Caleb Hulsey, Category Manager at Whole Foods Market, also said. “At Whole Foods Market, we are always looking for high-quality products and are excited to expand our baby and toddler category with Holle’s Toddler Milk Drinks.”

The Holle Cow and Goat Milk Toddler Drinks will be available at Whole Foods Market, Amazon.com and HolleUSA.com. The brand’s Organic Purée Pouches and A2 Powder Milk will also be available on Amazon in May. To learn more about Holle, check out the brand’s website.

Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.

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Whole Foods Market being sued for selling baby food with lead exposure

By FOX 7 Austin Digital Team

Published 

Consumer

FOX 7 Austin

AUSTIN, Texas - Happy Tot's baby food products are said to be safe and organic and sold at Target and Whole Foods but according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday, they contain alarming amounts of lead.

Children who eat just one serving of Happy Tot cheese and spinach ravioli consume more than 12 times the maximum amount of lead a child can be exposed to in one day. There’s more than a day’s maximum acceptable amount of lead exposure in a single Happy Tot apple and spinach fruit snack bar, the lawsuit states.

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Whole Foods, which is headquartered in Austin, and Target are named in the lawsuit because they are the largest sellers of the two Happy Tot products, part of Happy Family Organics.

"Whole Foods wouldn’t sell an apple grown with pesticides, yet they keep selling baby food containing appalling amounts of lead to unsuspecting parents," said Los Angeles attorney who focuses on environmental litigation, Vineet Dubey.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, no safe blood lead level in children has been identified, yet there is no federal standard for lead in baby food. The Washington Post recently reported that national health experts believe lead levels in baby food shouldn’t exceed 1 part per billion (ppb).

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A February 2021 congressional report on heavy metals in baby foods found that almost 20 percent of Happy Family Organics’ finished baby food products contained lead in excess of 10 ppb, with some products testing as high as 641 ppb.

When discussing lead poisoning Dubey says it can, "seriously damage a child’s brain and nervous system, stunt their growth and development, and cause hearing and speech problems. Lead can impact a child’s ability to learn and also manifest as behavior problems."

Happy Family Organics assures consumers online that all its products pass "rigorous" safety tests: "We can say with the utmost confidence that all Happy Family Organics products are safe for babies and toddlers to enjoy and we are proud to have best-in-class testing protocols in our industry. We only sell products that have been rigorously tested and we do not have products in-market with contaminant ranges outside of the limits set by the FDA. "

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These excessive lead levels were uncovered through independent laboratory tests conducted recently on an array of food products to determine if they complied with California’s Prop. 65 toxic warning label law. Prop 65 is the law that forced warning labels on fish known to contain mercury, and on water bottles that leach BPAs.

Neither Happy Tot product, both sold nationally, carry a Prop. 65 warning. 

"Let’s be clear: No amount of lead is safe for a child to consume, although low levels are allowed by law due to naturally occurring lead in the soil," Dubey said.

RELATED: Lead found in 20% of baby food, study says

"Not warning parents of dangerous lead levels is a violation of California law, but it’s really a human rights violation. A baby food company should know lead hurts children and should never sell a product with this much lead," Dubey adds.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Ecological Alliance LLC on June 15, 2021, at Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles.

On the safety of baby food

Nutrition is an important factor in the formation and preservation of children's health, their harmonious development. Modern parents, grandparents need to be guided in matters of baby food in order to choose high-quality products for the child that can fully provide the growing body with the necessary substances (proteins, fats, carbohydrates, trace elements and vitamins).

Food products for baby food - specialized food products intended for baby food for children from 0 to 6 years of age and older that meet the physiological needs of the child's body and do not cause harm to health.

Specialized baby foods include:

  • adapted milk formulas intended for artificial feeding of infants deprived of mother's milk for any reason,
  • complementary foods (dairy, vegetable, fruit, cereal, meat or fish) .

Such products of industrial production as children's fruit, fruit and vegetable juices and purees, children's canned food based on meat and fish, meat and vegetable based, as well as dry milk porridges that do not require cooking, have high nutritional and biological value.

These products are prepared from high-quality raw materials, are enriched with essential vitamins and minerals, are easy to prepare, exclude the possibility of food contamination during cooking, and have a long shelf life.

A large group of specialized baby food products are medical products that have a specially specified composition, purposefully affect certain metabolic disorders caused by the pathological process.

Production of baby food products for young children is carried out at specialized enterprises, in specialized workshops (or on specialized production lines), Legal entities, individual entrepreneurs and citizens engaged in the production and circulation of baby food products are responsible for providing them quality and safety in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation.

Manufactured baby food products are accompanied by a certificate of state registration of the established form, which is issued on the basis of a sanitary and epidemiological examination of compliance (non-compliance) with normative documents of baby food products.

When purchasing baby food, pay attention to the information on the label. The labeling of conforming baby food products intended for nutrition of young children must contain the following additional information: for which the product is intended:

From birth - adapted or partially adapted initial milk formulas (including powdered and based on partially hydrolyzed proteins), powdered fermented milk formulas dry), powdered fermented milk formulas

Older (from, from) 6 months - milk drinks (including dry) for infants, cottage cheese and products based on cottage cheese

Older (from, from) 8 months - drinking milk ( it is allowed to use for the preparation of complementary foods for infants older than (from, from) 4 months, indicating the age restrictions in the labeling for the intended purpose of the product)

Older (from, from) 8 months - drinking cream (it is allowed to use for the preparation of complementary foods for infants older than (from, from) 6 months, indicating age restrictions on the label for the intended purpose of the product)

Older (from, from) ) 8 months - kefir, yogurt and other fermented milk products

Composition of the product (indicating the names of used vegetable oils and carbohydrates)

Nutritional value of the product, including the content of vitamins, minerals and energy value (when enriching the product - percentage of the daily requirement)

Packages of adapted or partially adapted initial or follow-up milk formulas (including powdered ones) must carry a warning label: “Breastfeeding is preferable for nutrition of young children”.

Human milk substitutes must not be labeled with images of children.

On consumer packaging of fruit and (or) vegetable juice products for baby food, in the name or in close proximity to it, the words "for baby food" or other words reflecting the purpose of such products for baby food, as well as information on the age category of children for whom the products are intended, recommendations on the conditions and shelf life after opening the consumer package.

The consumer package of juice products from fruits and (or) vegetables for children of the first year of life indicates the age of the child (in months), from which it is recommended to introduce this product into the child's diet, and recommendations for its consumption. In this case, it is not allowed to indicate the age of a child younger than four months.

The most frequently asked questions are about the child's reaction after using the product.

Most often, the investigation of such cases confirms the conformity of the product to the requirements for it. And reactions occur as a result of violations of the rules for introducing a new product into the child's diet.

Choose the right baby food!

List of harmful foods for children: what not to feed a child - April 4, 2021

Lifestyle Barkhatov / 74.RU

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It's not just about sugar.

We decided to take a closer look at children's food and find out what children should stay away from. It is clear that the list would definitely include lollipops and other sweets, curd cheeses, ketchups with mayonnaise - you yourself can tell anyone about the harmful properties of these products. But there is food that only seems harmless.

Here's what's harmful about foods popular with children

Author: Pyotr Gindin

We didn't disassemble fast food by molecules, but we studied other food popular with childrenPhoto: Ilya Barkhatov / 74. RU What is really hidden in nuggets
Vitaly Kalistratov / Network of city portalsReconstituted juice is not the best treat for children
Vitaly Kalistratov / Network of city portalsHow to distinguish good yogurt from bad
Vitaly Kalistratov / Network of city portals

1

Chicken nuggets

At first glance, there is nothing wrong with nuggets - chicken breast, breading of flour or breadcrumbs, sometimes cheese - that, in general, is the whole composition. But while manufacturers focus on the fact that their nuggets are made from real chicken, let's take a closer look at this dish. The first thing that brings all possible benefits to zero is deep fat. With this method of heat treatment, carcinogens are formed, and a merciless amount of oil makes the product fatty and high-calorie.

Another point is the quantitative ratio of meat and everything else. The examination showed that often there is a lot of breading in nuggets - up to 50% of the total mass. There are no regulations regarding ingredients, so, in fact, manufacturers do not violate anything. But not only do you overpay for crackers and butter, it also turns out that the protein in the nuggets is less than it should be in the chicken breast, and there are too many carbohydrates.

Nuggets can also contain too much moisture. Yes, this makes them juicier, but you overpay for regular water. And due to the fact that in addition to chicken meat, nuggets contain many other ingredients (including those not indicated in the composition), their nutritional value is much lower compared to the same chicken breast.

What is really hidden in nuggets
Vitaliy Kalistratov / Network of city portals

And do not forget that nuggets are a product of deep processing. With sugar (even if it is not felt, but it is) and added fats.

“Over time, due to uncontrolled consumption of large amounts of sugar, insulin resistance develops in a person,” says dietitian Irina Toropygina. - Decreased sensitivity of insulin receptors. That is, there is a lot of glucose in the blood, but it is not absorbed, does not enter the cell, the cell experiences hunger and does not receive glucose to perform energy functions. In response to this, a person consumes sweets even more and only aggravates the situation. Excessive consumption of sugar inevitably leads to the development of carbohydrate dependence and, over time, to the formation of diabetes mellitus and obesity.

Irina Toropygina — dietician, specialist in functional integrative nutrition, DNA testing specialist.

We didn’t disassemble fast food by molecules, but we studied other food popular with childrenPhoto: Ilya Barkhatov / 74.RUWhat is really hidden in nuggets
Vitaly Kalistratov / Network of city portals to distinguish good yogurt from bad
Vitaliy Kalistratov / Network of city portals

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2

Corn flakes and muesli

Doctors say that it is more beneficial to feed a child with biscuits than with corn flakes - they even have less sugar. In addition, the option of a light and quick breakfast, beloved by children (and sometimes their parents), will “give” the body extra sweeteners, flavor enhancers and flavors. And if you see the inscription “enriched” on the packaging, this only indicates that the product has undergone maximum industrial processing.

Maybe replace muesli flakes? Maybe. But not the fact that they will be more useful.

— Due to the content of cereals and nuts, any muesli is quite high in calories: from 300 kcal and more, — says dietitian Elena Pavlovskaya. - Baked ones are fried in oil: they are, of course, tasty and crispy, but this is more of a dessert than a healthy meal. The recommended amount of muesli even for an adult is no more than 30-50 grams per day. Do not forget that there are contraindications to eating muesli: if you have an exacerbation of gastritis or problems with the intestines, you do not need to eat them. They contain a lot of dietary fiber, which can irritate the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines.

Elena Pavlovskaya — dietitian, candidate of medical sciences, researcher at the clinic of the Research Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences.

We didn’t analyze fast food by molecules, but we studied other food popular with children Photo: Ilya Barkhatov / 74.RU portalsHow to distinguish good yogurt from bad
Vitaliy Kalistratov / Network of city portals

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3

Juice

Children's juice producers are usually honest with their little consumers. In their examination products, neither sulfur dioxide (a preservative), nor ethyl alcohol, nor patulin (a toxic substance of natural origin that affects the digestive tract; sometimes present in food) is found. These drinks are made from exactly the fruits indicated on the package, they even contain a certain amount of vitamins and nutrients. But what's the catch?

“Let's start with the fact that the best source of fluid, both for a child and an adult, is water,” says nutritionist Irina Borodina. – Theoretically, juices can be used for baby food, but we must remember that packaged juices contain a lot of sugar, have a high glycemic index, increase appetite, have a sweet taste, which can lead to the formation of wrong taste preferences and refusal of some children from unsweetened foods (vegetable puree, porridge without sugar). For children 7-12 months old, the World Health Organization generally recommends not giving juices, but chopped raw fruits and vegetables: for example, banana, melon or tomato.

Irina Borodina — dietician, candidate of sciences, therapist of the 1st category.

Rospotrebnadzor notes that the most useful juice products are freshly squeezed juices made at home or in a restaurant. They retain the vitamins that were in the "source codes". But even they are not as healthy as whole vegetables and fruits due to the abundance of simple carbohydrates and low fiber content. Pasteurized direct-pressed juices are somewhat less useful. They are made from fresh vegetables, fruits or berries by mechanical pressing, and then kept at a temperature of 60-80 degrees: this method allows you to save a significant part of the beneficial properties of freshly squeezed juice. Reconstituted juice is even less useful. There are very few vitamins in it, and to make it healthier, manufacturers can artificially add vitamins and other biologically active substances (and this will be enriched juice).

Reconstituted juice is not the best treat for children
Vitaly Kalistratov / City Portal Network portalsReconstituted juice is not the best treat for children
Vitaly Kalistratov / Network of city portalsHow to distinguish good yogurt from bad
Vitaly Kalistratov / Network of city portals

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4

Yogurt

If children tried the “proper” yogurt, most likely they would refuse it once and for all - it is almost tasteless. But in a natural product there are definitely those very living bacteria for which it is valued. But the choice of thermally processed yogurts (the very ones that you see on store shelves) is Russian roulette. In addition, it is important to separate at least two types of products in it: for babies from eight months and for children from three years old.

Yoghurts for babies from 3 years old usually contain almost twice as much sugar as yogurts for babies from 8 months old. For a child under three years of age, this amount of sugar puts a lot of stress on the liver and pancreas. The risk of developing diabetes and obesity increases. Therefore, added sugar in complementary foods, if possible, should not be at all. Also, yogurts for children over three years old may have a higher acidity, which is also not good for babies.

Children's dairy products should contain no more than 7-8% sugar. Studies show that in some cases this norm is significantly exceeded (but who will tell you about it on the packaging!) - 10% or more. Three sugar cubes in one jar. Half the daily value of an eight-month-old baby.

— For example: ice cream contains four spoons of sugar, vanilla yogurt contains five, and 300 grams of sparkling water contains nine, says Irina Toropygina. “Besides, we all heard about probiotics, but their effect is somewhat exaggerated. They artificially settle in the intestines and restore the population of beneficial bacteria. This is their main property. However, most of it is lost during digestion.

How to distinguish good from bad yogurt
Vitaliy Kalistratov / Network of City Portals

An important component of yogurt is calcium. According to reference data, natural yogurt should contain 110–125 mg of calcium per 100 g of product. Some manufacturers promise even more - up to 240 mg. But these numbers remain only on the packaging. Experts checked how much calcium is in different yogurts. It turned out to be 2-3 times less than promised. That is, sometimes manufacturers take the numbers on the packaging, as they say, from the ceiling.

Calcium is essential for normal growth and development of the child. With its deficiency, the formation of bones and teeth is disturbed, children suffer from nervous disorders, increased nervous excitability, and convulsions may occur. The daily requirement for calcium depends on the age of the child. It is, according to the norms of physiological needs for energy and nutrients for various groups of the population of the Russian Federation: from birth to 3 months. - 400 mg, 4-6 months. - 500 mg, 7-12 months. - 600 mg; from 1 year to 3 years - 800 mg, from 3 to 7 years - 900 mg, from 7 to 11 years - 1100 mg.

“Children get only empty carbohydrates from sweet yoghurts,” says pediatric endocrinologist Natalia Lomonosova. - But dairy products cannot be excluded from the children's diet. They can and should be eaten. But let it be ordinary kefir, without sugar. If the child loves "Snowball", add half a teaspoon of sugar to a glass of kefir, it will be more useful. The child will receive both calcium and protein.

We didn’t analyze fast food by molecules, but we studied other food popular with childrenPhoto: Ilya Barkhatov / 74.RUWhat is really hidden in nuggets
Vitaly Kalistratov / Network of city portalsReconstituted juice is not the best treat for children
Vitaly Kalistratov / Network of city portalsHow to distinguish good yogurt from bad
Vitaly Kalistratov / Network of city portals

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5

Instant noodles8 have been proven 9002 these doshiraki are the same egg noodles, and without the seasonings that are in the package with the product, everything is not so bad.
But it should be excluded from baby food. Instant noodles, brewed according to all the rules indicated on the package, are mostly rich in phthalates - chemicals that can cause endocrine disruption, reduce testosterone levels and harm reproductive performance. A large amount of phthalates, as it turned out, is contained in cheese powder (it's time to skip the cheese-flavored pack) - more only in flexible PVC and some types of cosmetics. For all that, the European Union, known for its strict regulations on food and household chemicals, has not listed phthalates on the list of highly hazardous substances, so manufacturers, in general, work within the established norms.

We didn’t analyze fast food by molecules, but we studied other food popular with childrenPhoto: Ilya Barkhatov / 74.RUWhat is really hidden in nuggets
Vitaly Kalistratov / Network of city portals portalsHow to distinguish good yogurt from bad
Vitaly Kalistratov / Network of city portals

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