The Process Behind Baby Formula and its Kosher Implications

As we delve into the world of baby formula, it becomes apparent that there are several components at play. The basic structure of most baby formulas consists of four main parts: carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, and oils. However, the protein component is particularly interesting when it comes to kosher standards.

The Protein Component: A Hydrolyzed Process

Most baby formulas rely on a hydrolyzed pre-digested protein source. This process involves breaking down the proteins into smaller amino acids that are easier for babies to digest. The resulting protein is then mixed with other ingredients and added to the formula. In this context, it's worth noting that some formulas may contain ingredients that are not derived from animals, such as lactose or vegetable oils.

However, when it comes to kosher standards, the situation becomes more complex. Under halachic principles, a product can be considered kosher if its production process meets certain criteria. One key factor is the use of kosher certification symbols on the packaging. In this case, many baby formula manufacturers opt for the OU (Orthodox Union) certification symbol.

A Visit to a Plant: Uncovering the Truth

As part of my research, I had the opportunity to visit a plant in Michigan that produces one of these baby formulas. The facility was impressive, and I was able to see firsthand how the products are made. During my visit, I brought up the topic of kosher certification with the plant manager, who agreed to discuss it further.

The OU Certification Symbol: A Matter of Policy

According to the plant manager, the OU certification symbol is not automatically applied to all products simply because they contain a protein ingredient. Rather, it's a matter of policy and must be approved by the OU organization. In this case, the manufacturer chose not to apply the OU symbol to one particular product due to concerns about the use of dairy equipment.

The Importance of Ingredient Transparency

As I continued to explore the topic, I realized that ingredient transparency is crucial when it comes to kosher standards. Many consumers are concerned about hidden ingredients or additives in their baby formula, and manufacturers must be willing to provide clear information about their products. In this case, the manufacturer's decision not to label one product as OU-certified was likely made with consumer safety and transparency in mind.

The Role of Certification Agencies

Certification agencies like the OU play a vital role in ensuring that products meet kosher standards. These organizations have strict guidelines and protocols in place to verify the production process and ingredient quality. In this case, the OU certification symbol on one product was seen as a way to reassure consumers about the product's kosher status.

The Use of Alternative Certifications

In some cases, manufacturers may choose to use alternative certifications or symbols instead of the OU mark. For example, Similac's brand "Elecare" features an "E" symbol, which is often used to indicate that the product has undergone a rigorous quality control process. Similarly, Enfamil's brand "Pyramino" uses this same symbol.

The Importance of Labeling and Disclosure

Finally, it's essential to emphasize the importance of labeling and disclosure when it comes to kosher standards. Manufacturers must be transparent about their products' ingredients and production processes, and consumers have the right to know what they're putting in their babies. By choosing products that meet kosher standards, parents can have confidence in the safety and quality of their baby formula.

Abbott's Decision Not to Apply OU Symbol

In the case of Abbott's Elecare brand, I learned that the company initially decided not to apply the OU symbol due to concerns about dairy equipment. However, after consumer pressure and feedback from some parents who had been concerned about this issue, the manufacturer eventually agreed to disclose more information about its products.

The OU Certification: A Symbol of Trust

In conclusion, the use of kosher certification symbols on baby formula packaging is a matter of trust and transparency between manufacturers and consumers. By choosing products that meet kosher standards, parents can have confidence in the safety and quality of their baby formula. As we continue to navigate this complex topic, it's essential to prioritize ingredient transparency, labeling, and disclosure – ultimately putting the needs of babies first.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enforeign presented by the cautious awareness project in conjunction with Torah anytime today I am joined by Rabbi Mordechai starashevsky Rubina coordinator with ou kosher so today we want to focus on one of your expertises which is a baby formula many people from asking around it's interesting people are not so well versed some people go into the store assuming that any baby formula as long as it looks fairly innocuous they could just pull it off the shelf I'm sure you hear that all the time so give us a basic guidance as far as let's start with the powdered formula someone goes into the store are there formulas that are more acceptable than others and what what are what are the parameters so it's interesting there's there's two main baby formula companies one is Abbott which are similar cells form on the similar which was actually in the news quite a bit because of the shortage that plants and Sturgis has actually added Abbott headquarters this week in in north of Chicago Abbott park has 14 000 people working in this kind of wow a huge organization one of what they do about 25 percent of what they do is add nutritionals and that's where Similac ensure some some less well-known products Glucerna you know PediaSure they do Pedialyte Etc it is me Johnson who does Enfamil about 90 percent of the they perform the market of the U.S is controlled by these two companies all of their products which are eligible to be kosher are via the OU D and summer oude well maybe we'll maybe we'll get to that soon um there are some smaller baby formula brands there's Nature's One babies only in Ohio this by heart the new one that just got entered the market but these are like you know is that cartoon yeah they hope to get bigger but these are really but they're really the two main ones what's interesting and then there's the store brands the store brand companies that's done by perigo PBM once in Vermont once in a while to two planes and that really covers the market there's there are some recently there's been so it's been very stable for a long time all certified by the OU and the consumer goes in you wouldn't even have to check that when you say you're all certified by though you're talking about even the smaller Brands yeah all the brands that you mentioned all baby formulas sold into the United States up to today is certified by the OU I think it's a fascinating fact right there right that's pretty interesting okay so now uh typically someone's going into a a supermarket and what what what do they have to know of anything so first thing is like we tell everybody we go out to any product check for OU make sure he's there and so they all have the oh you on the passage oh you want the packaging either ousd or in the case of soy based formula such as enthymorphosobi soy and and Similac isomal also the soy in there is De it had been parave once it's de now we're very much working actively working on getting it back to Paris now de means that it was made on dairy equipment it was made our Machinery that ran a milk run milk and even people big deal it's milk and now it's that it's you know but for the first people that won't accept half stem or half companies like America says that would be an issue for them potentially right level of you know actually there might be a difference between if you hold that halftime as mitsar Israel all of our companies like remote show where it's not mitsar Issa um necessarily there might be a a difference as to whether you'll you'll be concerned about de but very much so right it's a whole separate thing you know there are more holes even if it's mixed together one of the most common questions we get soy milk almond milk d-e why is it not right d they get a d because it's done because it's done on the in the dairy companies and they yeah but there's no milk in there very common question somebody took it and mixed it together with their milk with that chicken with the meat they cooked together everything now ISD what should I do should they cool off in a panic so I when I when I don't answer the phone that much when I answer the phone I said are you Ashkenazi what is that again without these without having the problem the issue of his Super Bowl okay so it had been up until up until covid or really up until the the baby form a shortage you mentioned before which the Sturgis plan the largest plant actually in the Abbott Network and I think in the whole entire baby formal Network worldwide is was shot for a few months that was terrible shortages we all read about in the news I knew that a little more personally because the hard-ending stories and they were literally heartbreaking harending in the fact that there were people literally didn't have formula for their children correct so when it comes to a regular healthy child he doesn't need the metabolic specialty formulas say they're able to get they were always we're never down to zero was thirty percent capacity 35 because they don't need the specialty item let's say a hypo hypoallergenic type of formula even I have a hypoallergenic for Cosmic allergens but for people born with severe and and these companies abandon B Johnson they their focus of course is their business to make money but they always have a special focus on even even where the rarest case or a birth defect which maybe affects only a thousand children a year they will develop a specialty formula for that child and they have to have it and if people don't have it the baby will literally not survive and that you know I'm about to speak for what the government did the government shut it down argue about it politicize it either way they once the plan was shut down there were so Sturgis this plant actually makes all these metabolic formulas but translated that once the shortage in the market so the FDA told these companies not just Abbott Johnson perigo the store brands Focus all on you know the greater good so don't do so many changeovers these companies do changeover can be a 50 hour change over cleaning between different between different types especially hypoallergenic especially those types you have to really have to clean it out so they told them to leave that and just focus on getting as much baby formula out there onto the market another to hundreds of children who didn't have it anymore really wow terrible that's so interesting how in your role from a cashier standpoint you were exposed to of that very human element so it's just an interesting Insight yeah there was somebody actually a baby came home from the hospital the mother was another terminally ill and the baby was only maybe as long as the baby's in the hospital they was able to take this special type type of formula which the baby needed the baby got home they gave some powder the powder they had but the liquid the liquid version they did not have there was none to be had in the store somebody called me up I was able to put them in touch with somebody in one of these companies a very high up person it's really touched the heart they sent out five cases the next day really literally saved the baby's life you were able to be the uh the enabler now so just to clarify is there any difference between the powder and liquid versions of these various formulas and is there any difference between the brand names which you mentioned and the store brands so no difference either one there might be a difference either one puts a little bit absolutely the quality is going to be the same I think you know I couldn't speak I'm not speaking my role as I'm not a food scientist but my role is what I see is Castro's wise this is about the same and those are you know from a cashless perspective from a consumer perspective all the formulas you see out there are all very high you know it's extremely regulated industry and they're all very good isn't it interesting I just I'm thinking as you're talking um isn't it interesting that there aren't really hamisha brands of baby formula has that been has that come up because of one of the Abbott does Ensure so we presented to them and I always try that sieber at large would like to have a Hobe spell ensure and sure is for older people or people in firm people come in surgery and supplements usually supplemental or nutrition somebody alive it's a thicker drink and it tastes good every elephant that was CEO went to visit one time and if Zach came in it oh you oh told the integral bring the mask the ensure for real shark lived on ensure elephants and people ask him what is the oldies most famous product says four battles of Ensure are guaranteed as enough nutrients vitamins proteins Etc to keep your personal life you can just the person could just live on live on that yeah so when it comes to these products um what were you guys can get what was the one I'm just asking about a Hamish you know brand so I was putting a plug for them to put in coffee throw right so these people are based in Columbus Ohio mostly said that one of them asked me back you know if I would go to the store super kosher they called well you see this club as well let me know what the answer finally we told them that when it comes to ice cream butter milk you have these Niche Niche supervisions Niche companies who would deal who will arrange for their local community to have these type of Butters you know Etc ice cream yogurt no it comes to baby formula and service not something which you can whip up in your backyard garage it's kind of so regulated and so much amount of science that goes into that house it's so much different than the production of traditional Dairy items that's what you're saying right so we told them that you and your role of purveyor and carrying that individual so please um you know produce such as and they're listening it's not uh stay tuned stay tuned so we're getting this game back to the same before up until that shutdown during coven that shutdown you can invest every baby formula they got except maybe the ones we got to that that didn't have didn't have an extra for a reason we're going to be similacs and the reason was because even though there are similar Brands Enfamil as well made overseas they don't bring those because of regulations of the U.S regulations the FDA regulations to know not allowed to import them that was made elsewhere stayed elsewhere during the shortage they relaxed those regulations and allowed them to bring in different formulas from plants that were not certified so we went to certify the Singapore plan and the national plan and myself to Singapore further furthest you can get away from Lakewood well it's a full 180 degrees around the world you should look further you're coming back already and the plane actually goes one way goes east west you Circle navigate the globe that was the first time you were in Singapore first time first and only time last summer this past summer they certified the the Singapore plan for me Johnson and so this this is currently there's a there's um Similac Total Comfort is made in a plant in Spain I've been there I have to go back but it's not yet it's not yet or kosher so we don't put the oh you want that so people just know when they go to the store Similac Total Comfort is not yet conscious it will be but not yet no I I know that there's something interesting about uh certain formulas that have this hydrolyzed protein they're they're types of formulas that are for hypoallergenic children who need specialty we'll call it specialty formulas right talk about that that there is a halach cautious concern with that yeah so the Similac makes the power and this they take this babies that have a severe cow's milk allergen the CMA they take the case scene the casein is the protein in the milk and they put it into a vat with a piece of pork pancreas actual piece of lover in there it sits there for a number of days until the the enzymes in the pancreas hydrolyze hydrolyze this defensive way of saying to break down and pre-digest the proteins in that in the milk after a number of days they take it they filter out the khazer and they just have this now hydrolyzed pre-digested protein and that gets put into a secondary that that is the protein which is added every baby formula consists of four basic components carbohydrates a protein vitamins and then the oils the fat blend so the the this this becomes the protein which is added and you know it's on first glance it's a and the second if you think into it and if you research it and we've researched it I was actually at the one of the plants that make it I actually saw the process yeah I've been a number of times that I brought up again act along with me so we're gonna come you this is something which is negative you have to come with me and he came down with me as a plant in Michigan and we spent a day with it he agreed that it's based on what I'm not going to go into Hoshi now and what I said recently I presented somewhere you know the title was how can a baby formula with pit with a pig ingredient be kosher would actually give the whole sear is based on two two components to halachic um standards I guess one of them is that is in this case it's bottle without saying to all the reasoning and the underpinnings of it it's so it's bottle without saying we're not going to say Hana in such a case also it's if anybody who's ever dealt with this knows it's a very very foul-tasting foul smelling that song the difference wasn't a bad idea would actually tell the OU that they should put the OU on it yeah on this particularly it's closer everybody the question is it's as a matter of policy we can't put all you want something in it I mean you can't do it right I give letters for it to that to the they give it a hospitals people call me up of course what are the names of those uh I know Similac has a brand called elementum and Enfamil has something called Nutramigen or Nutramigen now by the way if a baby is so if a baby has such a severe Cosmic allergenic they can't even tolerate a hydrolyzed protein then they take something they build it up from the ground up in other words every every protein is built up is built with amino acids naturally so they must have made it so if you can't if the protein is too much a baby to digest yeah hydrolyze it if even that's too much and they just take a bunch of amino acids and build it up that way so Similac is called elecare and allocated I'll tell you in a second and and um enfamil's brand is called pyramino now people call up it was an essential tramage and pure immuno because the end because the me Johnson marketing department feels that nutramigans is a very famous name name right so that people call up it has no most of them say the E and we hope to get that on that one also to be part of together with the transition hopefully the Mexican plant and I'm actively working on it I've been there this year and go back again um the LK was interesting Abbott never wanted to put the OU on elecare because it would have to say oud and the whole point of the Elder Care is the babies that are extremely hyper allergenic which we require in hypoallergenic formula they'll see the D they'll get scared scared off from a health standpoint right how could it be D I don't want anything there so they took it there was they always and they never had it I currently the formulation myself bothering me very much that a lot of people who thought it was treyv and who didn't want to buy other kids so they put it on their website so those people look at a website it says on there the Avid website I look here it's under OU and they gave you reasoning why because we don't want to have to write to D I formulated with them we have a nursery that says now OU made with power of ingredients and it says that we're on the on every another product really so it's interesting for every person to realize who will lay their fears that's the benefits of ingredients doesn't say d but it's made of power ingredients it's La fuke it doesn't uh it's made with uh dairy equipment wow that's a fascinating background who would have thought uh you know so much goes into it any final words on this important topic so but I've been up to the we just started the ratio after stuffed intermediate there's so much more to say on this very fascinating and important topic but it's a general overview to what we spoke with at the final words is that people should just check when they go to the store to make sure that the product is certified certified if it's not we don't okay thank you so much thank you foreignforeign presented by the cautious awareness project in conjunction with Torah anytime today I am joined by Rabbi Mordechai starashevsky Rubina coordinator with ou kosher so today we want to focus on one of your expertises which is a baby formula many people from asking around it's interesting people are not so well versed some people go into the store assuming that any baby formula as long as it looks fairly innocuous they could just pull it off the shelf I'm sure you hear that all the time so give us a basic guidance as far as let's start with the powdered formula someone goes into the store are there formulas that are more acceptable than others and what what are what are the parameters so it's interesting there's there's two main baby formula companies one is Abbott which are similar cells form on the similar which was actually in the news quite a bit because of the shortage that plants and Sturgis has actually added Abbott headquarters this week in in north of Chicago Abbott park has 14 000 people working in this kind of wow a huge organization one of what they do about 25 percent of what they do is add nutritionals and that's where Similac ensure some some less well-known products Glucerna you know PediaSure they do Pedialyte Etc it is me Johnson who does Enfamil about 90 percent of the they perform the market of the U.S is controlled by these two companies all of their products which are eligible to be kosher are via the OU D and summer oude well maybe we'll maybe we'll get to that soon um there are some smaller baby formula brands there's Nature's One babies only in Ohio this by heart the new one that just got entered the market but these are like you know is that cartoon yeah they hope to get bigger but these are really but they're really the two main ones what's interesting and then there's the store brands the store brand companies that's done by perigo PBM once in Vermont once in a while to two planes and that really covers the market there's there are some recently there's been so it's been very stable for a long time all certified by the OU and the consumer goes in you wouldn't even have to check that when you say you're all certified by though you're talking about even the smaller Brands yeah all the brands that you mentioned all baby formulas sold into the United States up to today is certified by the OU I think it's a fascinating fact right there right that's pretty interesting okay so now uh typically someone's going into a a supermarket and what what what do they have to know of anything so first thing is like we tell everybody we go out to any product check for OU make sure he's there and so they all have the oh you on the passage oh you want the packaging either ousd or in the case of soy based formula such as enthymorphosobi soy and and Similac isomal also the soy in there is De it had been parave once it's de now we're very much working actively working on getting it back to Paris now de means that it was made on dairy equipment it was made our Machinery that ran a milk run milk and even people big deal it's milk and now it's that it's you know but for the first people that won't accept half stem or half companies like America says that would be an issue for them potentially right level of you know actually there might be a difference between if you hold that halftime as mitsar Israel all of our companies like remote show where it's not mitsar Issa um necessarily there might be a a difference as to whether you'll you'll be concerned about de but very much so right it's a whole separate thing you know there are more holes even if it's mixed together one of the most common questions we get soy milk almond milk d-e why is it not right d they get a d because it's done because it's done on the in the dairy companies and they yeah but there's no milk in there very common question somebody took it and mixed it together with their milk with that chicken with the meat they cooked together everything now ISD what should I do should they cool off in a panic so I when I when I don't answer the phone that much when I answer the phone I said are you Ashkenazi what is that again without these without having the problem the issue of his Super Bowl okay so it had been up until up until covid or really up until the the baby form a shortage you mentioned before which the Sturgis plan the largest plant actually in the Abbott Network and I think in the whole entire baby formal Network worldwide is was shot for a few months that was terrible shortages we all read about in the news I knew that a little more personally because the hard-ending stories and they were literally heartbreaking harending in the fact that there were people literally didn't have formula for their children correct so when it comes to a regular healthy child he doesn't need the metabolic specialty formulas say they're able to get they were always we're never down to zero was thirty percent capacity 35 because they don't need the specialty item let's say a hypo hypoallergenic type of formula even I have a hypoallergenic for Cosmic allergens but for people born with severe and and these companies abandon B Johnson they their focus of course is their business to make money but they always have a special focus on even even where the rarest case or a birth defect which maybe affects only a thousand children a year they will develop a specialty formula for that child and they have to have it and if people don't have it the baby will literally not survive and that you know I'm about to speak for what the government did the government shut it down argue about it politicize it either way they once the plan was shut down there were so Sturgis this plant actually makes all these metabolic formulas but translated that once the shortage in the market so the FDA told these companies not just Abbott Johnson perigo the store brands Focus all on you know the greater good so don't do so many changeovers these companies do changeover can be a 50 hour change over cleaning between different between different types especially hypoallergenic especially those types you have to really have to clean it out so they told them to leave that and just focus on getting as much baby formula out there onto the market another to hundreds of children who didn't have it anymore really wow terrible that's so interesting how in your role from a cashier standpoint you were exposed to of that very human element so it's just an interesting Insight yeah there was somebody actually a baby came home from the hospital the mother was another terminally ill and the baby was only maybe as long as the baby's in the hospital they was able to take this special type type of formula which the baby needed the baby got home they gave some powder the powder they had but the liquid the liquid version they did not have there was none to be had in the store somebody called me up I was able to put them in touch with somebody in one of these companies a very high up person it's really touched the heart they sent out five cases the next day really literally saved the baby's life you were able to be the uh the enabler now so just to clarify is there any difference between the powder and liquid versions of these various formulas and is there any difference between the brand names which you mentioned and the store brands so no difference either one there might be a difference either one puts a little bit absolutely the quality is going to be the same I think you know I couldn't speak I'm not speaking my role as I'm not a food scientist but my role is what I see is Castro's wise this is about the same and those are you know from a cashless perspective from a consumer perspective all the formulas you see out there are all very high you know it's extremely regulated industry and they're all very good isn't it interesting I just I'm thinking as you're talking um isn't it interesting that there aren't really hamisha brands of baby formula has that been has that come up because of one of the Abbott does Ensure so we presented to them and I always try that sieber at large would like to have a Hobe spell ensure and sure is for older people or people in firm people come in surgery and supplements usually supplemental or nutrition somebody alive it's a thicker drink and it tastes good every elephant that was CEO went to visit one time and if Zach came in it oh you oh told the integral bring the mask the ensure for real shark lived on ensure elephants and people ask him what is the oldies most famous product says four battles of Ensure are guaranteed as enough nutrients vitamins proteins Etc to keep your personal life you can just the person could just live on live on that yeah so when it comes to these products um what were you guys can get what was the one I'm just asking about a Hamish you know brand so I was putting a plug for them to put in coffee throw right so these people are based in Columbus Ohio mostly said that one of them asked me back you know if I would go to the store super kosher they called well you see this club as well let me know what the answer finally we told them that when it comes to ice cream butter milk you have these Niche Niche supervisions Niche companies who would deal who will arrange for their local community to have these type of Butters you know Etc ice cream yogurt no it comes to baby formula and service not something which you can whip up in your backyard garage it's kind of so regulated and so much amount of science that goes into that house it's so much different than the production of traditional Dairy items that's what you're saying right so we told them that you and your role of purveyor and carrying that individual so please um you know produce such as and they're listening it's not uh stay tuned stay tuned so we're getting this game back to the same before up until that shutdown during coven that shutdown you can invest every baby formula they got except maybe the ones we got to that that didn't have didn't have an extra for a reason we're going to be similacs and the reason was because even though there are similar Brands Enfamil as well made overseas they don't bring those because of regulations of the U.S regulations the FDA regulations to know not allowed to import them that was made elsewhere stayed elsewhere during the shortage they relaxed those regulations and allowed them to bring in different formulas from plants that were not certified so we went to certify the Singapore plan and the national plan and myself to Singapore further furthest you can get away from Lakewood well it's a full 180 degrees around the world you should look further you're coming back already and the plane actually goes one way goes east west you Circle navigate the globe that was the first time you were in Singapore first time first and only time last summer this past summer they certified the the Singapore plan for me Johnson and so this this is currently there's a there's um Similac Total Comfort is made in a plant in Spain I've been there I have to go back but it's not yet it's not yet or kosher so we don't put the oh you want that so people just know when they go to the store Similac Total Comfort is not yet conscious it will be but not yet no I I know that there's something interesting about uh certain formulas that have this hydrolyzed protein they're they're types of formulas that are for hypoallergenic children who need specialty we'll call it specialty formulas right talk about that that there is a halach cautious concern with that yeah so the Similac makes the power and this they take this babies that have a severe cow's milk allergen the CMA they take the case scene the casein is the protein in the milk and they put it into a vat with a piece of pork pancreas actual piece of lover in there it sits there for a number of days until the the enzymes in the pancreas hydrolyze hydrolyze this defensive way of saying to break down and pre-digest the proteins in that in the milk after a number of days they take it they filter out the khazer and they just have this now hydrolyzed pre-digested protein and that gets put into a secondary that that is the protein which is added every baby formula consists of four basic components carbohydrates a protein vitamins and then the oils the fat blend so the the this this becomes the protein which is added and you know it's on first glance it's a and the second if you think into it and if you research it and we've researched it I was actually at the one of the plants that make it I actually saw the process yeah I've been a number of times that I brought up again act along with me so we're gonna come you this is something which is negative you have to come with me and he came down with me as a plant in Michigan and we spent a day with it he agreed that it's based on what I'm not going to go into Hoshi now and what I said recently I presented somewhere you know the title was how can a baby formula with pit with a pig ingredient be kosher would actually give the whole sear is based on two two components to halachic um standards I guess one of them is that is in this case it's bottle without saying to all the reasoning and the underpinnings of it it's so it's bottle without saying we're not going to say Hana in such a case also it's if anybody who's ever dealt with this knows it's a very very foul-tasting foul smelling that song the difference wasn't a bad idea would actually tell the OU that they should put the OU on it yeah on this particularly it's closer everybody the question is it's as a matter of policy we can't put all you want something in it I mean you can't do it right I give letters for it to that to the they give it a hospitals people call me up of course what are the names of those uh I know Similac has a brand called elementum and Enfamil has something called Nutramigen or Nutramigen now by the way if a baby is so if a baby has such a severe Cosmic allergenic they can't even tolerate a hydrolyzed protein then they take something they build it up from the ground up in other words every every protein is built up is built with amino acids naturally so they must have made it so if you can't if the protein is too much a baby to digest yeah hydrolyze it if even that's too much and they just take a bunch of amino acids and build it up that way so Similac is called elecare and allocated I'll tell you in a second and and um enfamil's brand is called pyramino now people call up it was an essential tramage and pure immuno because the end because the me Johnson marketing department feels that nutramigans is a very famous name name right so that people call up it has no most of them say the E and we hope to get that on that one also to be part of together with the transition hopefully the Mexican plant and I'm actively working on it I've been there this year and go back again um the LK was interesting Abbott never wanted to put the OU on elecare because it would have to say oud and the whole point of the Elder Care is the babies that are extremely hyper allergenic which we require in hypoallergenic formula they'll see the D they'll get scared scared off from a health standpoint right how could it be D I don't want anything there so they took it there was they always and they never had it I currently the formulation myself bothering me very much that a lot of people who thought it was treyv and who didn't want to buy other kids so they put it on their website so those people look at a website it says on there the Avid website I look here it's under OU and they gave you reasoning why because we don't want to have to write to D I formulated with them we have a nursery that says now OU made with power of ingredients and it says that we're on the on every another product really so it's interesting for every person to realize who will lay their fears that's the benefits of ingredients doesn't say d but it's made of power ingredients it's La fuke it doesn't uh it's made with uh dairy equipment wow that's a fascinating background who would have thought uh you know so much goes into it any final words on this important topic so but I've been up to the we just started the ratio after stuffed intermediate there's so much more to say on this very fascinating and important topic but it's a general overview to what we spoke with at the final words is that people should just check when they go to the store to make sure that the product is certified certified if it's not we don't okay thank you so much thank you foreignforeign presented by the cautious awareness project in conjunction with Torah anytime today I am joined by Rabbi Mordechai starashevsky Rubina coordinator with ou kosher so today we want to focus on one of your expertises which is a baby formula many people from asking around it's interesting people are not so well versed some people go into the store assuming that any baby formula as long as it looks fairly innocuous they could just pull it off the shelf I'm sure you hear that all the time so give us a basic guidance as far as let's start with the powdered formula someone goes into the store are there formulas that are more acceptable than others and what what are what are the parameters so it's interesting there's there's two main baby formula companies one is Abbott which are similar cells form on the similar which was actually in the news quite a bit because of the shortage that plants and Sturgis has actually added Abbott headquarters this week in in north of Chicago Abbott park has 14 000 people working in this kind of wow a huge organization one of what they do about 25 percent of what they do is add nutritionals and that's where Similac ensure some some less well-known products Glucerna you know PediaSure they do Pedialyte Etc it is me Johnson who does Enfamil about 90 percent of the they perform the market of the U.S is controlled by these two companies all of their products which are eligible to be kosher are via the OU D and summer oude well maybe we'll maybe we'll get to that soon um there are some smaller baby formula brands there's Nature's One babies only in Ohio this by heart the new one that just got entered the market but these are like you know is that cartoon yeah they hope to get bigger but these are really but they're really the two main ones what's interesting and then there's the store brands the store brand companies that's done by perigo PBM once in Vermont once in a while to two planes and that really covers the market there's there are some recently there's been so it's been very stable for a long time all certified by the OU and the consumer goes in you wouldn't even have to check that when you say you're all certified by though you're talking about even the smaller Brands yeah all the brands that you mentioned all baby formulas sold into the United States up to today is certified by the OU I think it's a fascinating fact right there right that's pretty interesting okay so now uh typically someone's going into a a supermarket and what what what do they have to know of anything so first thing is like we tell everybody we go out to any product check for OU make sure he's there and so they all have the oh you on the passage oh you want the packaging either ousd or in the case of soy based formula such as enthymorphosobi soy and and Similac isomal also the soy in there is De it had been parave once it's de now we're very much working actively working on getting it back to Paris now de means that it was made on dairy equipment it was made our Machinery that ran a milk run milk and even people big deal it's milk and now it's that it's you know but for the first people that won't accept half stem or half companies like America says that would be an issue for them potentially right level of you know actually there might be a difference between if you hold that halftime as mitsar Israel all of our companies like remote show where it's not mitsar Issa um necessarily there might be a a difference as to whether you'll you'll be concerned about de but very much so right it's a whole separate thing you know there are more holes even if it's mixed together one of the most common questions we get soy milk almond milk d-e why is it not right d they get a d because it's done because it's done on the in the dairy companies and they yeah but there's no milk in there very common question somebody took it and mixed it together with their milk with that chicken with the meat they cooked together everything now ISD what should I do should they cool off in a panic so I when I when I don't answer the phone that much when I answer the phone I said are you Ashkenazi what is that again without these without having the problem the issue of his Super Bowl okay so it had been up until up until covid or really up until the the baby form a shortage you mentioned before which the Sturgis plan the largest plant actually in the Abbott Network and I think in the whole entire baby formal Network worldwide is was shot for a few months that was terrible shortages we all read about in the news I knew that a little more personally because the hard-ending stories and they were literally heartbreaking harending in the fact that there were people literally didn't have formula for their children correct so when it comes to a regular healthy child he doesn't need the metabolic specialty formulas say they're able to get they were always we're never down to zero was thirty percent capacity 35 because they don't need the specialty item let's say a hypo hypoallergenic type of formula even I have a hypoallergenic for Cosmic allergens but for people born with severe and and these companies abandon B Johnson they their focus of course is their business to make money but they always have a special focus on even even where the rarest case or a birth defect which maybe affects only a thousand children a year they will develop a specialty formula for that child and they have to have it and if people don't have it the baby will literally not survive and that you know I'm about to speak for what the government did the government shut it down argue about it politicize it either way they once the plan was shut down there were so Sturgis this plant actually makes all these metabolic formulas but translated that once the shortage in the market so the FDA told these companies not just Abbott Johnson perigo the store brands Focus all on you know the greater good so don't do so many changeovers these companies do changeover can be a 50 hour change over cleaning between different between different types especially hypoallergenic especially those types you have to really have to clean it out so they told them to leave that and just focus on getting as much baby formula out there onto the market another to hundreds of children who didn't have it anymore really wow terrible that's so interesting how in your role from a cashier standpoint you were exposed to of that very human element so it's just an interesting Insight yeah there was somebody actually a baby came home from the hospital the mother was another terminally ill and the baby was only maybe as long as the baby's in the hospital they was able to take this special type type of formula which the baby needed the baby got home they gave some powder the powder they had but the liquid the liquid version they did not have there was none to be had in the store somebody called me up I was able to put them in touch with somebody in one of these companies a very high up person it's really touched the heart they sent out five cases the next day really literally saved the baby's life you were able to be the uh the enabler now so just to clarify is there any difference between the powder and liquid versions of these various formulas and is there any difference between the brand names which you mentioned and the store brands so no difference either one there might be a difference either one puts a little bit absolutely the quality is going to be the same I think you know I couldn't speak I'm not speaking my role as I'm not a food scientist but my role is what I see is Castro's wise this is about the same and those are you know from a cashless perspective from a consumer perspective all the formulas you see out there are all very high you know it's extremely regulated industry and they're all very good isn't it interesting I just I'm thinking as you're talking um isn't it interesting that there aren't really hamisha brands of baby formula has that been has that come up because of one of the Abbott does Ensure so we presented to them and I always try that sieber at large would like to have a Hobe spell ensure and sure is for older people or people in firm people come in surgery and supplements usually supplemental or nutrition somebody alive it's a thicker drink and it tastes good every elephant that was CEO went to visit one time and if Zach came in it oh you oh told the integral bring the mask the ensure for real shark lived on ensure elephants and people ask him what is the oldies most famous product says four battles of Ensure are guaranteed as enough nutrients vitamins proteins Etc to keep your personal life you can just the person could just live on live on that yeah so when it comes to these products um what were you guys can get what was the one I'm just asking about a Hamish you know brand so I was putting a plug for them to put in coffee throw right so these people are based in Columbus Ohio mostly said that one of them asked me back you know if I would go to the store super kosher they called well you see this club as well let me know what the answer finally we told them that when it comes to ice cream butter milk you have these Niche Niche supervisions Niche companies who would deal who will arrange for their local community to have these type of Butters you know Etc ice cream yogurt no it comes to baby formula and service not something which you can whip up in your backyard garage it's kind of so regulated and so much amount of science that goes into that house it's so much different than the production of traditional Dairy items that's what you're saying right so we told them that you and your role of purveyor and carrying that individual so please um you know produce such as and they're listening it's not uh stay tuned stay tuned so we're getting this game back to the same before up until that shutdown during coven that shutdown you can invest every baby formula they got except maybe the ones we got to that that didn't have didn't have an extra for a reason we're going to be similacs and the reason was because even though there are similar Brands Enfamil as well made overseas they don't bring those because of regulations of the U.S regulations the FDA regulations to know not allowed to import them that was made elsewhere stayed elsewhere during the shortage they relaxed those regulations and allowed them to bring in different formulas from plants that were not certified so we went to certify the Singapore plan and the national plan and myself to Singapore further furthest you can get away from Lakewood well it's a full 180 degrees around the world you should look further you're coming back already and the plane actually goes one way goes east west you Circle navigate the globe that was the first time you were in Singapore first time first and only time last summer this past summer they certified the the Singapore plan for me Johnson and so this this is currently there's a there's um Similac Total Comfort is made in a plant in Spain I've been there I have to go back but it's not yet it's not yet or kosher so we don't put the oh you want that so people just know when they go to the store Similac Total Comfort is not yet conscious it will be but not yet no I I know that there's something interesting about uh certain formulas that have this hydrolyzed protein they're they're types of formulas that are for hypoallergenic children who need specialty we'll call it specialty formulas right talk about that that there is a halach cautious concern with that yeah so the Similac makes the power and this they take this babies that have a severe cow's milk allergen the CMA they take the case scene the casein is the protein in the milk and they put it into a vat with a piece of pork pancreas actual piece of lover in there it sits there for a number of days until the the enzymes in the pancreas hydrolyze hydrolyze this defensive way of saying to break down and pre-digest the proteins in that in the milk after a number of days they take it they filter out the khazer and they just have this now hydrolyzed pre-digested protein and that gets put into a secondary that that is the protein which is added every baby formula consists of four basic components carbohydrates a protein vitamins and then the oils the fat blend so the the this this becomes the protein which is added and you know it's on first glance it's a and the second if you think into it and if you research it and we've researched it I was actually at the one of the plants that make it I actually saw the process yeah I've been a number of times that I brought up again act along with me so we're gonna come you this is something which is negative you have to come with me and he came down with me as a plant in Michigan and we spent a day with it he agreed that it's based on what I'm not going to go into Hoshi now and what I said recently I presented somewhere you know the title was how can a baby formula with pit with a pig ingredient be kosher would actually give the whole sear is based on two two components to halachic um standards I guess one of them is that is in this case it's bottle without saying to all the reasoning and the underpinnings of it it's so it's bottle without saying we're not going to say Hana in such a case also it's if anybody who's ever dealt with this knows it's a very very foul-tasting foul smelling that song the difference wasn't a bad idea would actually tell the OU that they should put the OU on it yeah on this particularly it's closer everybody the question is it's as a matter of policy we can't put all you want something in it I mean you can't do it right I give letters for it to that to the they give it a hospitals people call me up of course what are the names of those uh I know Similac has a brand called elementum and Enfamil has something called Nutramigen or Nutramigen now by the way if a baby is so if a baby has such a severe Cosmic allergenic they can't even tolerate a hydrolyzed protein then they take something they build it up from the ground up in other words every every protein is built up is built with amino acids naturally so they must have made it so if you can't if the protein is too much a baby to digest yeah hydrolyze it if even that's too much and they just take a bunch of amino acids and build it up that way so Similac is called elecare and allocated I'll tell you in a second and and um enfamil's brand is called pyramino now people call up it was an essential tramage and pure immuno because the end because the me Johnson marketing department feels that nutramigans is a very famous name name right so that people call up it has no most of them say the E and we hope to get that on that one also to be part of together with the transition hopefully the Mexican plant and I'm actively working on it I've been there this year and go back again um the LK was interesting Abbott never wanted to put the OU on elecare because it would have to say oud and the whole point of the Elder Care is the babies that are extremely hyper allergenic which we require in hypoallergenic formula they'll see the D they'll get scared scared off from a health standpoint right how could it be D I don't want anything there so they took it there was they always and they never had it I currently the formulation myself bothering me very much that a lot of people who thought it was treyv and who didn't want to buy other kids so they put it on their website so those people look at a website it says on there the Avid website I look here it's under OU and they gave you reasoning why because we don't want to have to write to D I formulated with them we have a nursery that says now OU made with power of ingredients and it says that we're on the on every another product really so it's interesting for every person to realize who will lay their fears that's the benefits of ingredients doesn't say d but it's made of power ingredients it's La fuke it doesn't uh it's made with uh dairy equipment wow that's a fascinating background who would have thought uh you know so much goes into it any final words on this important topic so but I've been up to the we just started the ratio after stuffed intermediate there's so much more to say on this very fascinating and important topic but it's a general overview to what we spoke with at the final words is that people should just check when they go to the store to make sure that the product is certified certified if it's not we don't okay thank you so much thank you foreign\n"