Dr. Nancy Krebs Receives 2010 AAP Samuel J. Fomon Nutrition Award
In July, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) named Nancy F. Krebs, MD, MS, FAAP, medical director of Clinical Nutrition Services at The Children’s Hospital and Professor of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, as the 2010 recipient of the AAP Samuel J. Fomon Nutrition Award. The award, which was presented November 13 in Chicago, Illinois, is sponsored by the International Formula Council (IFC) and recognizes outstanding achievement in research relating to nutrition of infants and children.
Dr. Nancy Krebs receives the 2010 AAP Samuel J. Fomon Nutrition Award
Dr. Krebs served as chair of the AAP Committee on Nutrition from 2001 to 2005 and is widely known for using evidenced-based approaches to solving pediatric nutritional problems, both domestically and internationally.
The IFC congratulates Dr. Krebs on receiving this prestigious award and for her many accomplishments.
HHS Launches Healthy People 2020 Objectives
On December 2, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) unveiled Healthy People 2020 objectives and related goals. Healthy People 2020 provides Americans with 10-year objectives for health promotion and disease prevention. Healthy People was developed in 1979 and serves as a framework for public health prevention, priorities, and actions. According to Assistant Secretary for Health Howard K. Koh, M.D., M.P.H. in a recent press release announcing Healthy People 2020, “Healthy People is the nation’s roadmap and compass for better health, providing our society a vision for improving both the quantity and quality of life for all Americans.” A number of Healthy People 2020 objectives under the topic area Maternal, Infant, and Child Health (MICH) address infant nutrition issues, including objectives to increase U.S. breastfeeding rates at different milestones. Other objectives related to infant nutrition include increasing the proportion of employers that have worksite lactation support programs, reducing the proportion of breastfed newborns who receive formula supplementation within the first 2 days of life, and increasing the proportion of live births that occur in facilities that provide recommended care for lactating mothers and their babies. To view all MICH Healthy People 2020 objectives, please click here.
The Healthy People initiative is grounded in the principle that setting national objectives and monitoring progress can motivate action, and indeed, in just the last decade, preliminary analyses indicate that the country has either progressed toward or met 71 percent of its Healthy People targets. The IFC is pleased that, through a concerted effort by the health community, government, and industry, recorded breastfeeding rates in the U.S. have steadily increased during the past decade and that the Healthy People 2010 goal for breastfeeding initiation was achieved. Additionally, a closer review of the data reveals that subgroups of the population successfully achieved the 2010 Healthy People breastfeeding goals for 3, 6, and 12 months as well.
HHS also launched a newly redesigned Healthy People Web site that allows users to tailor information to their needs and explore evidence-based resources for implementation. The website is located at: www.healthypeople.gov.
FDA’s Pediatric Advisory Committee Discusses Donor and Banked Human Milk
On December 6, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Pediatric Advisory Committee (PAC) met to “obtain and discuss information and data that will provide the Agency with a better understanding of current practices, and potential benefits and risks associated with the donation and banking of human milk.”
The occurrence and use of banked and donor human milk has grown in recent history, with the creation of the Human Milk Banking Association of North America, state regulations on human milk banking, and the outcropping of informal milk-sharing networks led by mothers over the internet. Because there are no federal regulations regarding milk banking, including donor selection, milk storage and processing, and nutrient content, FDA initiated the discussion through the PAC meeting, which included public comments.
The FDA has no plans at this time to promulgate regulations for banked human milk. However, keeping infant safety in mind, the FDA suggests that parents and caregivers consult with their baby’s healthcare provider before choosing to feed their baby human milk from any source other than their mother. The FDA also encourages parents who may be considering feeding their baby with donated or banked human milk to consider possible safety risks. If the donor has not been properly screened, the baby can be subjected to infectious diseases and chemical contaminants. The FDA recommends against acquiring human milk directly from individuals or through the internet. If a mother, after consulting with her baby’s healthcare provider and weighs the risks, decides to feed her baby human milk from someone other than herself, the FDA recommends using only milk from banks which screen donors and have taken other precautions to ensure the safety of the milk. A full list of suggestions and additional information on breastfeeding can be found on FDA’s website.
FAO/WHO Convenes Expert Meeting to Review Toxicological and Health Aspects of BPA
In November, Canada hosted a Joint Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) / World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Meeting to Review Toxicological and Health Aspects of Bisphenol A (BPA). The meeting took place in Ottawa and was jointly supported by Health Canada, the European Food Safety Authority, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
A summary report providing information, as well as conclusions and recommendations, on the following BPA-related issues discussed at the meetings of the meeting has been posted on WHO’s website. A more detailed report is still expected. The summary report highlights many of the meetings activities, including, identifying sources and occurrence of BPA and providing an exposure assessment. Additionally, conclusions regarding BPA’s effect on metabolism, toxicology, and a BPA risk characterization are included.
The report of the expert panel meeting did not propose a TDI (tolerable daily intake) level for BPA. Instead the report states, “Establishing a ‘safe’ exposure level for BPA continues to be hampered by a lack of data from experimental animal studies that are suitable for risk assessment. Many research studies have design and analysis issues that limit their utility for this purpose.” Additionally, the Expert Meeting identified a number of gaps in knowledge and provided a range of recommendations for the generation of further information and the design of new studies to better understand the risk to human health posed by BPA.
Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses Holds 32nd Session
The 32nd Session of the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU) took place November 1-5 in Santiago, Chile and was led by first-time Chair Dr. Pia Noble. Much of the Committee's attention was devoted to Nutrition Reference Values and formulated supplementary foods for older infants and young children. Of particular interest, the Committee agreed with the proposal from the Delegation of New Zealand to prepare a discussion document to consider the revision of part or all of the Standard for Follow-up Formula (CODEX STAN 156-1987); the document will be available for discussion at the next CCNFSDU meeting. The official meeting report has been posted on the Codex website and is available here.
The U.S. delegation, of which IFC was a part, also posted a summary of the session online. The 33rd session of CCNFSDU will be held on November 14-18, 2011, near Frankfurt, Germany.
Update on AOAC Stakeholder Panel on Infant Formula and Adult Nutritionals Project
The AOAC Stakeholder Panel on Infant Formula and Adult Nutritionals (SPIFAN) continued its project to establish voluntary, consensus standard method performance requirements (SMPRs) for priority nutrients in infant formula and adult nutritionals. In November, working groups met to finalize draft SMPRs for the first five priority nutrients: Vitamins A, D and B12, Folic Acid, and Inositol. The SMPRs will be finalized and ratified at the next SPIFAN meeting, scheduled for April 2011. In the meantime, Study Directors, who will analyze and adjust methods that would potentially meet the SMPRs, will present their findings in spring 2011, with expected single lab validation and collaborative studies of candidate methods to take place in summer/fall 2011.
The SPIFAN project, a contract between IFC and the International Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC), will result in published SMPRs for at least 20 priority nutrients. The ultimate goal of this project is to use the SMPRs to identify, optimize, and validate methods that will be published as AOAC Official Methods and adopted by Codex Alimentarius and incorporated into the Codex Infant Formula Standard. The project is expected to be completed in 2012.
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Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), 50th Directing Council 62nd Session of the Regional Committee of WHO for the Americas
September 27 – October 2, 2010
Washington, DC
PAHO’s Directing Council met and discussed agenda items related to Strategy and Plan of Action for the Reduction of Chronic Malnutrition; Progress Reports on Technical Matters: Implementation of the International Health Regulations (2005); and Implementation of the Regional Strategy and Plan of Action for an Integrated Approach to the Prevention and Control of Chronic Diseases, including Diet, Physical Activity and Health. A final report of this meeting has not yet been published.
National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) Meeting
October 25 – 28, 2010
Madison, Wisconsin
The NOSB considered a number of issues at its fall 2010 meeting, including a discussion document on the use of nutrient supplementation in organic foods. This document and subsequent rulemaking by the National Organic Program could have significant impact on nutrient content of organic infant formulas. The NOSB is expected to revisit the issue at its next meeting, scheduled for April 2011.
To view summary meeting notes from this meeting, click here
FAO/WHO Expert Meeting on the Toxicological and Health Aspects of BPA
November 1 – 5, 2010
Ottawa, Canada
A full summary of this meeting is provided above.
Codex Commission on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses, 32nd Session
November 1 – 5, 2010
Santiago, Chile
A full summary of this meeting is provided above.
World Health Organization, 128th Executive Board Meeting
January 17 – 21, 2011
Geneva, Switzerland
The WHO Executive Board is scheduled to address infant and young child nutrition, child injuries, cholera, immunizations, and malaria. A provisional agenda and other meeting documents are available online for download.
National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) Medical Foods Conference
February 9–10, 2011
Washington, DC
NORD is hosting a conference on medical foods where attendees will focus on challenges patients and healthcare providers face in obtaining and purchasing medical foods, and will include perspectives of government and industry.
Codex Committee on Fats and Oils (CCFO), 22nd Session
February 21 – 25, 2011
Penang, Malaysia
CCFO is expected to consider a proposal for new work regarding a standard for fish oils, which could include infant formula ingredients Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and Arachidonic acid (ARA).
Codex Committee on Food Additives, 43rd Session
March 14 – 18, 2011
Xaimen, China
Among other agenda items, CCFA will provide a review of the issues on food additive provisions in the Standard for infant formulas and formula for special medical purposes (CODEX STAN 72-1981) that are still pending for advice to the CCNFSDU and proposals on how to address these issues. A provisional agenda can be downloaded online.
Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods (CCCF)
The Hague, Netherlands
March 21 – 25, 2011
CCCF will address a proposal maximum level for melamine in liquid infant formula. A provisional agenda is available online for download.
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