The parents of a baby fed on vegetable milk and who died from it, were given a six-month suspended prison sentence. Buckwheat, quinoa, oat or rice milks are all the rage. But they are not suitable for infant feeding.
The Dendermonde court on Wednesday sentenced the parents of a seven-month-old baby, who died of dehydration and malnutrition, to a six-month suspended prison sentence. The defendants, from West Flanders, had fed the child vegetable milk, thinking that he suffered from lactose and gluten intolerance, without consulting a doctor. « They fed their child inappropriately. They unwittingly caused his death »the court said.
The baby was admitted to the emergency room on June 6, 2014, in Hasselt, but the doctors could only confirm his death. The child, who weighed 4.3 kg, was dehydrated.
Oat, rice, buckwheat and quinoa milk
The investigation carried out following the death established that the child was undernourished. For four months, the parents had fed their baby boy milk with oats, rice, buckwheat and quinoa, after several attempts at breastfeeding and powdered milk feeding. The baby therefore suffered from a lack of protein, minerals and vitamins.
According to the public prosecutor, who had requested an 18-month prison sentence, no doctor found lactose or gluten intolerance in the child. The lawyer for the defendants had pleaded for the acquittal of his clients, who did not want their baby dead. (Belga)
Products that do not meet the needs of infants
Nourished, for four months, exclusively on milk – or rather on water or juice? – vegetable, whether oats, rice, buckwheat or quinoa, the baby died at the age of seven months of dehydration and malnutrition.
If they are very fashionable lately, these « milks » – as far as we can still call them that – are clearly not indicated in the context of infant nutrition. Was it necessary this dramatic event to recall or emphasize that they are in no way an alternative to breast milk or powdered milk specially designed for young children? And this, even if in some supermarkets, you can dangerously find them in the shelves close to those of baby food…
1 What do plant-based drinks contain?
Made from water and vegetable ingredients, and not from the udder of a mammal, vegetable « milk » takes its name above all from its milky appearance and by analogy with animal milk. While soy milk is probably the best known, there are several kinds of vegetable drinks. A distinction is made between « milk » derived from legumes (soya, quinoa…), cereals (rice, oats, wheat…) and oilseeds or dried fruits (almonds, hazelnuts, coconuts, chestnuts…).
For people intolerant or allergic to cow’s milk, they have several advantages: they are free of cholesterol, lactose and casein, rich in vitamins (A, B and E), and rich in potassium, magnesium, phosphorus… or so often enriched with mineral salts (calcium) and rich in good fatty acids (unsaturated lipids). Undoubtedly interesting in certain cases, these vegetable drinks do not however constitute an alternative to infant feeding.
2 What food for infants?
For the WHO and ONE paediatricians, the instructions are clear: « Breastfeeding, given exclusively, meets all the needs of the baby up to the age of 6 months. The set of benefits of breast milk is unique.“According to the Canadian Pediatric Society,”it is desirable to continue breastfeeding for up to two years or more, accompanied by appropriate complementary foods. Breastfeeding is nutritionally important. In addition to providing immunological protection, it promotes growth and development in infants and young children« .
While breastfeeding remains the food best suited to the infant’s needs, it may happen, for various reasons, that it is not or no longer possible. In this case, « only infant formulas or follow-on formulas, authorized by the regulations, can cover the nutritional needs of the child“, recalls ANSES, National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety, in France.
Following several reports of serious cases in children under the age of one, fed, partially or exclusively, vegetable drinks presented as « vegetable milks » or milks of animal origin (goat, donkey, mare, etc. .), ANSES carried out an internal request for the assessment of the risks associated with these products. « Analysis of the nutritional compositions of these products shows that they are not suitable for the needs of infants« , said ANSES.
3 Why is vegetable « milk » not suitable for babies?
This composition analysis mostly shows that « these drinks do not meet the nutritional needs of infants, in whom any insufficient intake of energy, proteins, lipids, minerals or vitamins can have consequences on growth in weight, height and brain development, stresses ANSES. The repercussions are all the more severe when the insufficiency is early and prolonged. Such practices can indeed lead to a state of malnutrition or severe metabolic disorders that can lead to infectious complications and go as far as the death of the child.« .
4 So what are the recommendations?
Seek advice from a pediatrician or dietitian. « Parents should know that common drinks of vegetable or animal origin are not suitable for infants under the age of one year: they cannot replace breast milk and/or 1st and 2nd age infant milks.«
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