Safefood issues guidelines on babies' bottle feeds

The Health Service Executive (HSE) and Safefood, the Food Safety Promotion Board, have launched a new guide on preparing a baby…

The Health Service Executive (HSE) and Safefood, the Food Safety Promotion Board, have launched a new guide on preparing a baby's bottle feeds safely.

Dr Cliodhna Foley-Nolan, director of human health and nutrition with Safefood, warned that as powdered infant milk is not a sterile product, it has the potential to cause illness if not prepared properly.

"In rare circumstances, certain harmful bacteria such as E.sakazakii have been associated with it," she said.

"However, water with a temperature above 70 degrees will kill E.sakazakii and any other bacteria like salmonella that may be present."

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Dr Foley-Nolan recommends using the "30-minute" rule.

"This is a very practical rule, whereby the water is boiled and then left for 30 minutes before the powdered infant formula is added, at which point its temperature is no less than 70 degrees," she said in a statement last night.

"This is the best way to achieve a balance between killing the harmful bacteria and retaining sufficient amounts of nutrients in the formula," she added.

Powdered infant formula can contain the bacterium Enterobacter sakazakii (E.sakazakii) and this has been implicated as a rare source of illness in infants, with those under two months most at risk from it, according to Safefood.

The organisation said it was publishing a guide on the issue because "the emergence in recent years of this illness has necessitated new risk assessments conducted jointly between the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organisation (Who).

Who has now issued new technical guidance on infant feeding in collaboration with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI).

Safefood hopes the new guide will be used by public health nurses, dietitians working with infants and those working at pre-schools.