THE Consumers' Association of Ireland has criticised the Government for relying on British advice about the safety of baby formula milk. "We should be carrying out our own testing of these products," a CAI spokeswoman said yesterday, commenting on reports that leading baby milk brands contained chemicals which could impair fertility.
The Department of Health's Food Safety Advisory Board said there was no cause for concern as the levels were "negligible". Similar traces of the chemicals - known as phthalates - can be found in "plastic bags that people carry messages in", a spokeswoman said.
The British Infant and Dietetic Association also urged mothers yesterday not to switch brands or change to inappropriate foods. Media coverage was fuelling unnecessary concern, it said.
A link with baby's milk and the so called "gender bending" chemicals arose after a leaked report that they had been detected in nine unnamed baby milk brands in Britain.
Officials from the British Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries were reported to have met manufacturers to trace the source of phthalates, which are used to soften plastics, particularly PVC. This meeting was confirmed by the ministry yesterday.
The levels were said to be "worryingly" close to those applied in experiments carried out by the British Medical Research Council on baby rats. When similar levels of the chemicals were administered, their testicles were damaged and sperm counts were reduced.
The consumers' association said it had received many concerned calls yesterday and critical of the lack of information forthcoming on the tests, brand names have been mentioned, the results of these have not been published, manufacturers' rights are put before those of consumers, the CAI spokeswoman said.
"We also believed that the Food Safety Advisory Board should be carrying out its own tests here, as there may be some products available here that are not sold in Britain," she added.
Superquinn said it was not taking any specific action as it was satisfied about the low levels of chemicals. It referred to the statement from the British Infant and Dietetic Foods Association urging mothers to continue to use current baby milk formulas and not to switch brands or change to inappropriate foods, such as "doorstep" cows' milk.
The association said the British ministry's survey of phthalates in infant formulas was published in March and the very low levels" were well within safety limits and did not pose a risk to infants. The survey had covered a range of foods, as well as infant formula brands, and no comparative study was carried out on breastmilk, it said.
. A spokeswoman for Milupa, a major baby milk brand name in Ireland, said last night: "To our understanding all of the main companies on the market for infant formula have been tested for phthalates. . . All of us are in the same boat. . We feel that it is important that all companies come out in the open and identify the projects affected."