Enhanced baby food headed for stores

Posted 2:13PM on Tuesday 26th March 2002 ( 22 years ago )

ST. LOUIS - An enhanced baby food touted as nutritionally akin to breast milk is headed for U.S. store shelves, following the lead of similarly fortified infant formulas, though pediatricians aren't yet sold on whether such products make for better babies. St. Louis-based Beech-Nut Nutrition Corp. launch a marketing blitz Tuesday for its First Advantage brand baby food, which has DHA, one of two fatty acids found naturally in breast milk that are important for brain and vision development. The government last year cleared the way for companies to begin enhancing infant formulas and foods with DHA and AA. Some studies have shown that infants fed formula enriched with such nutrients score higher on baby IQ scales than babies fed conventional formulas. While First Advantage is made for babies at least six months old transitioning to solid foods, some skeptics say infant brains and eyes already have reached a stage of maturity where feeding food enriched with DHA and AA could have little effect. DHA and AA fats appear most important for premature infants, who miss absorbing them from their mothers during that last trimester of pregnancy when there's a huge brain-growth spurt. Nutritionists agree that breast milk remains the best bet, protecting babies from infection, lowering risk of certain chronic diseases and seemingly fostering brain development. The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that most babies be breast-fed exclusively for six months, and that mothers try to continue until babies are a year old. Still, debate lingers over whether enhanced baby food offers superior nutrition for babies who aren't breast fed and whether it's worth the price increase. The suggested retail price for a four-ounce jar of First Advantage is 69 cents, comparable to other premium, organic brands but 19 to 24 cents above the price of a conventional Beech-Nut jar. ``Once one company adds it, they all add it,'' said Dr. Frank Greer, a University of Wisconsin professor of pediatrics and nutritional sciences. ``Would I go out and buy it? For the added cost, I don't think they've documented it as a benefit.'' Even Beech-Nut admits the science isn't there yet. The company with about a 13 percent domestic share of the baby food market says its clinical trials on DHA are under way, said Scott Meader, president and chief executive of Milnot Holding Co., Beech-Nut's parent. ``I'm not a scientist, and most of the research has been done on formula,'' he said. ``The research shows that kids continue to accumulate DHA until the age of 2, and our clinical trials should bear that out.'' DHA and AA are among the brain- and heart-healthy ``omega-3 fatty acids'' found in fish and certain other foods. People's bodies manufacture DHA and AA by eating various fats, though some say newborns - especially premature infants - can't manufacture all the DHA and AA needed for optimal cognitive and visual development. In a study published in 2000, Eileen Birch of the Retina Foundation of the Southwest in Dallas found that mental development among 18-month-olds fed enriched formula for four months was increased by about seven IQ points over babies fed regular formula. While no one knows if the enhanced development Birch uncovered is a lasting difference or if babies fed regular formula catch up as they grow, most experts say adding the fats can't hurt. ``In theory, it's a good idea,'' said Dr. William Heird of the Children's Nutritional Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine. ``Some studies show benefits, some don't. It's kind of a mixed bag, and I don't think anybody really knows. ``If you can afford it, it's safe and may provide benefit. If you can't, don't feel guilty, because babies have done well for years on formula or baby food without DHA. But I think the best message to get across is there's no right or wrong difference.'' More than 60 countries long have offered DHA-supplemented infant formula, often by U.S.-based companies. Formula giant Mead Johnson domestically introduced its Enfamil LIPIL - with DHA and AA - in February, with rival Abbott Laboratories' Ross Products Division expecting to follow with a Similac product next month. Abbott has been selling infant formula with DHA and AA globally. Beech-Nut's First Advantage comes in 13 flavors, from peach to banana cream and tropical fruit. Beech-Nut uses omega-3 enhanced eggs as a DHA and AA source. Before last year, the FDA debated for five years whether to let DHA and AA be added to U.S. formula, given arguments over how it should be added and possible sources of the fatty acids. After all, DHA amounts in each woman's breast milk differ according to diet. Initial sources of DHA from fish oil turned out to contain other fats that actually hindered babies' physical growth. So last May, the FDA told a small biotechnology company that its versions of DHA and AA - purified from algae and fungal sources - are safe ingredients.

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