Sabine’s Organic Baby Food Blog

A concerned mum who has been buying baby formula 1 for her baby daughter and now has moved on to baby formula 2 recently emailed me with a question about iron in babies who are raised on baby formula. Her question was, because iron isn’t listed in the ingredients on either baby formula package, was her daughter actually getting an adequate intake of iron?

To be sure I was giving the most accurate reply possible I referred the question to the chief pediatric nutritionist at Holle, the manufacturer of both organic baby formula 1 and 2. I thought I would share the reply I got because it may be of interest to other parents raising their babies on the Holle organic baby formula.

Iron as such isn’t listed on our baby formula packaging but all our baby formulas contain iron in the form of ferrous lactate, which is actually listed in the list of ingredients. Ferrous lactate is a form of iron that is readily digestible by babies and is, in fact, a legal requirement in baby formula. The reason for that is that  raw cows milk alone does not contain the level of iron required by law for infant nutrition. The iron content for each baby formula is also listed in the nutritional value tables on each package.

All babies fed with baby formula milks are perfectly well provided with iron. A deficiency of iron should not be feared.

Breast milk contains much less iron than infant formula, but  breastfed babies also generally do not lack iron, if they are weaning onto solid foods from the age of approximately 6 months onwards.

Meat contains a high amount of iron in a form that is easily available to the body’s digestive system. Grains and vegetables together with a source of vitamin C can also supply a sufficient amount of iron for vegetarian and breast milk fed babies. Vitamin C helps the body to make use of the available iron in foods.

It is more important which iron content the food has and how well it is available for the body and not whether it is fortified with iron or not. Natural and organically produced foods are a good source of iron.

So, there is a legally prescribed amount of iron added to baby formula to ensure your baby has more than sufficient for all his/her needs. When weaning, as long as your baby continues to have the formula and a reasonably balanced intake of small amounts of foods, everything will be fine.

Holle Organic Infant Follow-on Formula - No Added Fluoride

Twice in the last month I have received enquiries from customers asking whether the Holle organic baby milks and formulas have the chemical fluoride added during their production.

I have consulted Holle’s head of quality control and nutrition and can categorically confirm that the Holle organic baby milks and formulas do NOT have fluoride added. Furthermore, none of the organic baby food produced by Holle have fluoride added.

I am aware of the possible dangers of fluoride and am against ‘mass medication’ by adding it to our drinking water (luckily not everywhere in the UK or Europe) and to our toothpastes. When I first learned about fluoride many years ago I was indeed very shocked, especially considering that the aluminium industry tells us that their by-product is good for us humans while it is used to kill rats at the same time. I would recommend any parent look into the issue of fluoride in our food and drink and take action to protect their babies – who are, after all,extremely vulnerable and deserve a pure and wholesome diet.

Holle Baby Milks – The Nutritional Breakdown

When looking at the nutritional breakdown on any of the Holle organic baby milk packaging you will though find reference to fluoride in the list of nutrients in the formulas. So, what is going on – didn’t I just categorically state that fluoride isn’t added to the baby milks? I did, and that is perfectly correct. The fluoride trace content declared on the packaging is simply what naturally occurs in the milk derived from the biodynamically/organically raised cows that supply the milk to produce the baby formula. I should point out that fresh milk naturally contains traces of fluoride, as will most foods – just like many other trace elements.

How Do the Holle Baby Formulas Compare?

One customer also mentioned in his email another well known brand of organic baby milks and formulas and his concern at the levels of fluoride in their baby milks. While I will not mention the manufacturer, I have checked the figures and can confirm a huge difference in the levels of fluoride present between their organic baby milks and those produced by Holle. The figures are as follows:

• Holle – 0.56 µg per 100 ml made up follow-on infant formula
• Other brand – 36.0 µg per 100 ml made up follow-on infant formula

Compared with breastmilk one of our correspondents wrote:

One statistic I looked at after I sent my earlier e-mail was how the Holle milk compares with mothers’ breast milk in terms of natural fluoride content, and I found it was broadly the same amount.

Make an Informed Choice When Choosing a Baby Milk

As a concerned parent who, for whatever reason cannot or does not breastfeed, choosing a baby milk or formula is an important decision. I would always advise parents to check ingredients lists and lists of nutrients, and if you have any doubts ask questions – ask as many questions as you need in order to satisfy yourself.

At Ulula we are always happy to receive your queries and will do our very best to give you an open and honest answer so that you can make an informed decision.

Share your experiences with the Holle organic baby milks and formulas with other parents – tell us how your baby likes the Holle range.

Read more about the Holle range of organic baby milks and formulas >>

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