simple steps to anticipate contamination in formula milk

Recently, the public has been worried by the news about the results of research conducted by the Bogor Agricultural Institute which stated that some formula milk products and baby food were contaminated with Enterobacter sakazakii. Communities, especially families who have babies or toddlers who consume these products are becoming restless. They want to look for safe products, but the government or researchers do not mention the label names of these unsafe (already contaminated) products, while not giving milk to their children is also impossible.

Because there is no clear information or action from the government and regardless of whether the results of the research are correct or not, we need to take a few simple steps to avoid/reduce the possibility of contamination of the milk or food that we give to our children.

First, for families who have babies under the age of 6 months, if possible, give exclusive breastfeeding until the age of 6 months. We know that breast milk contains all the nutritional elements a baby needs and if the production is good, breast milk is sufficient to meet the child's needs until the child is 6 months old. An increase in the child's weight is an indication that the milk consumed still meets the child's needs. To get good breast milk, the mother from pregnancy to breastfeeding needs to get adequate nutrition and the support of other family members, especially her husband. In addition, try to breastfeed as much as the child wants and as often as possible, because milk production is directly proportional to the milk released. The more often you breastfeed, the more milk you will produce.

Second, it's time for us to return to a natural diet. We can reduce instant food for our babies and return to mixing baby food (eg team porridge) with natural ingredients like our parents used to. This will also reduce the consumption of additional ingredients (preservatives, etc.) by our children.

Third, serving formula milk or additional food hygienically. However, contamination does not only occur because the ingredients have been contaminated since they were packaged, but the way of processing and presentation also contributes quite a lot. Therefore, the habit of washing hands with soap/antiseptic before processing or serving food is very important to do.

In addition, the cleanliness of cutlery also needs to be maintained. It is better to boil the bottle/pacifier to be used in boiling water for at least 3 minutes beforehand to kill any bacteria/germs that may be attached. Boiling does not have to use special tools, but you can also use the usual cooking utensils you have. After that, the bottles were kept closed and placed in a clean place.

The next step is to get used to making a milk solution just before it is given. It is better to throw away the milk solution that has been made for more than 3 hours and not give it to children because bacteria easily grow in the milk solution. Therefore, it's better to make a small amount / just enough so that it will run out in one drink. Because polluting bacteria are resistant to a certain temperature, to make a milk solution, it is better that the milk is first dissolved in hot/boiling water and after the milk is completely dissolved then mixed with cold boiled water. This action is expected to kill germs that might contaminate the milk.

So don't let the news about the results of IPB's research cause excessive anxiety in the community. We can actually use this as an impetus to increase awareness and attention to health problems.