Dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs in infant formulae

• The Food Standards Agency, health departments and the World Health Organization encourage breastfeeding (exclusively for the first six months) on the basis of convincing evidence of its benefits to the overall health and development of the infant.
• Dioxins and PCBs have been measured in retail samples of milk and soya-based infant formulae purchased in 1998, 2001 and 2003. The results show a significant fall in levels over the five years.
• Upper bound concentrations (theoretical maximum concentrations) of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs in the infant formulae purchased in 2003 were in the range 0.2-0.4 ng WHO-TEQ/kg fat compared with 0.5 - 3.1 ng WHO-TEQ/kg fat for the 1998 samples.
• The concentrations of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs in two of the products bought in 1998 were significantly higher than the remainder. Further samples of these two products were purchased and tested in 2001 and the concentrations were found to be much lower.
• The concentrations of dioxins in all of the milk-based products sampled were generally well within the EU limit for milk and milk products (3 ng WHO-TEQ/kg fat). There is no EU limit applicable to soya-based products, but the concentrations of dioxins in the soya-based formulae are also well within the limit for milk and are within the limit of 0.75 ng WHO-TEQ/kg fat applicable to vegetable oils.
• Based on these results, estimated intakes have also fallen. Upper bound intakes by infants fed on milk-based formula samples purchased in 2003 were within the UK safety guideline (Tolerable Daily Intake – TDI) set in November 2001 by the Government’s independent advisory committee, the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food Consumer Products and the Environment (COT). The TDI is 2 picograms WHO-TEQ/kg bodyweight/day. The estimated upper bound intakes at birth and at six months slightly exceeded the UK TDI in the case of one product. Dioxins and PCBs build up in the body over many years, and it is long-term exposure that is of concern, rather than small variations over a few months. A temporary slight increase in intake during infancy would not have an immediate effect and would not be expected to alter the build-up in the body over the longer term.
• It is not necessary for mothers who choose to feed their infants formula milk, or who are unable to breastfeed, to change the feeding regimes of their infants or to switch brands on the basis of the results of this survey. In such circumstances, cows’ milk formulae are the preferred sources of nutrition for infants unless parents have been advised by their doctor or health professional to feed their baby other formulae such as hydrolysed protein formulas or soya-based infant formulae.