Finding the formula for formula

There has also been an improvement in the fatty acid content, which plays an important role in an infant’s mental and physical development, particularly the eyes and nervous system. Some parents may be put off to hear that the newer fatty acids come from sources such as fish eyeballs.

The arrival of the 'Frankencow’
Despite the quest to create the perfect copy of human breast milk, formula remains essentially dried cow’s milk with a few added vitamins and minerals, plus adjusted carbohydrate, protein and fat levels. It lacks antibodies, which can protect babies from illness in the first months of life, and the baby digests less of it, leading to more and smellier waste in the nappy.

It couldn’t be long before genetic engineering found its way into breast milk manufacture, and 12 cows in Virginia, USA, have been genetically engineered to produce a human breast milk protein. The resultant milk may also carry the Holy Grail of formula – some antibodies. Although how these would survive the three- or four-year shelf life of the average formula is hard to understand. Besides, the idea of ‘Frankencows’ will be a difficult psychological image for marketers to sell to anxious parents.

New recommendations
In March this year, the World Health Organisation recommended that babies are breastfed exclusively for the first six months of life, up from a previous recommendation of four to six months. Health experts believe that babies should receive at least some breast milk for the first year.

However, the government budget for promoting breastfeeding is a tiny fraction of the promotional budgets of the main baby milk manufacturers. The trouble is no one makes much money out of breastfeeding – you can only sell so many breast pumps, nursing bras and breast pads. Whereas once you have persuaded a mother to use a bottle, she is committed to regular purchases of an expensive product for at least a year.