jimpeel
November 13, 2003, 02:02 AM
The "Heinz International" mentioned in the story is the same Heinz owned by John Kerry's wife Teresa Heinz. This may bleed over onto his campaign but the German firm has taken full responsibility for supplying Remedia with baby formula from which they had removed the B-1. They say that they thought that the Soy in the product would supply the needed B-1 even though the amount was 1/10 the amount shown on the label.
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German Firm Says Israel Babyfood Lacked Key Vitamin
Tuesday, November 11, 2003 3:16 p.m. ET
By Dave Graham and Allyn Fisher-Ilan
BERLIN/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The German producer of a babyfood formula at the heart of an Israeli investigation into the deaths of two babies said on Tuesday its soy-based product was deficient in a key vitamin needed to maintain infant health.
Humana GmbH, part of the Humana Milchunion collective, Germany's second biggest producer of milk products, said in a statement that its kosher Remedia Super Soya 1 product sold in Israel did not contain the amount of vitamin B-1, also known as thiamin, that the product advertised.
Israeli police have launched an investigation into suspicions the product caused a B-1 vitamin deficiency that led to acute health problems in at least nine babies. Two have died.
Humana said tests had shown the product contained between 29 and 37 microgrammes of vitamin B-1 per 100 grammes, less than one tenth of the product's declared value and under the European Union guideline for 120 microgrammes per 100 grammes.
Humana board chief Albert Grosse Frie said the company planned unspecified "organizational and personnel" moves as a result of the mistake and was cooperating with an Israeli delegation visiting the firm as well as with prosecutors.
"It is with shock that we have watched the news and the pictures out of Israel...Our thoughts are with the children, the mothers and the families," Grosse Frie told a news conference at Humana's German headquarters in Herford.
"We will make every effort for very good cooperation and transparency and openness in order to get back the confidence which surely has been lost," he said, adding that the problem only affected Super Soya 1 and none of Humana's other products.
"The product has been stopped and we will get in contact with our partner Remedia to discuss the future," he said.
MILLIONS IN DAMAGES
A lack of vitamin B-1 can cause a disease called beriberi, characterized by inflammatory or degenerative changes to the nerves, digestive system, and heart.
Ted Smyth, a senior vice-president of Heinz International which has a 51 percent stake in Remedia Ltd, Humana's Israeli distributor, told a news conference in Tel Aviv he was "dismayed" over the mistake.
"Remedia relied on Humana. They supplied certificates to Remedia that showed the B-1 content...Naturally we are dismayed. But the mystery seems to have been solved," he said.
Earlier, lawyers for one family filed lawsuits in a Tel Aviv court seeking $230 million in damages from Humana and the Israeli Health Ministry.
A separate suit was filed by another Israeli family for some $26 million as compensation for pain, suffering and anguish.
Humana did not comment on the lawsuits, but Grosse Frie said while it accepted responsibility for its product lacking enough vitamin B-1, it was unclear what had made babies sick in Israel.
"There is currently a scientific debate going on whether the lack of B-1 vitamin is the sole cause," he said.
Humana, which exports its products to more than 30 countries and has an annual turnover of 2.53 billion euros ($2.91 billion), blamed the error on faulty analyzes of the recipes of two forerunners to Remedia Super Soya 1 used as the basis for the new product.
"These inaccurate calculations led to the conclusion that the natural B-1 content matched the levels required and that an additional B-1 supplement was not necessary as this would otherwise have resulted in an overdose of vitamin B-1," it said.
LAWYER SEEKS CLASS ACTION STATUS
Lawyer Michael Bach, representing the Israeli family that brought the $230 million suit, said he had asked to have the case treated as a class action and was awaiting the court's decision. He declined further comment about his clients.
Attorney Ram Gorodesky, representing a second family, said they had fed two children with the formula, and while none had been diagnosed with any illness, he was seeking damages for potential consumer fraud since the formula lacked B-1.
Police raided the offices of Remedia, which commands about one-third of Israel's non-dairy baby food market, on Monday.
The formula has been pulled off the shelves in Israel. Officials said an analysis showed it contained no B-1 despite a label that said it did, and that there was a link between the absence of the vitamin and the cases of beriberi.
B-1 is required to convert blood sugar into energy, for producing red blood cells, and is involved in metabolic activities in nerves, muscles and the heart.
(Additional reporting by Maia Ridberg in Tel Aviv)
Copyright © 2003 Reuters Limited.
http://wireservice.wired.com/wired/story.asp?section=Breaking&storyId=797980&tw=wn_wire_story
German Firm Says Israel Babyfood Lacked Key Vitamin
Tuesday, November 11, 2003 3:16 p.m. ET
By Dave Graham and Allyn Fisher-Ilan
BERLIN/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The German producer of a babyfood formula at the heart of an Israeli investigation into the deaths of two babies said on Tuesday its soy-based product was deficient in a key vitamin needed to maintain infant health.
Humana GmbH, part of the Humana Milchunion collective, Germany's second biggest producer of milk products, said in a statement that its kosher Remedia Super Soya 1 product sold in Israel did not contain the amount of vitamin B-1, also known as thiamin, that the product advertised.
Israeli police have launched an investigation into suspicions the product caused a B-1 vitamin deficiency that led to acute health problems in at least nine babies. Two have died.
Humana said tests had shown the product contained between 29 and 37 microgrammes of vitamin B-1 per 100 grammes, less than one tenth of the product's declared value and under the European Union guideline for 120 microgrammes per 100 grammes.
Humana board chief Albert Grosse Frie said the company planned unspecified "organizational and personnel" moves as a result of the mistake and was cooperating with an Israeli delegation visiting the firm as well as with prosecutors.
"It is with shock that we have watched the news and the pictures out of Israel...Our thoughts are with the children, the mothers and the families," Grosse Frie told a news conference at Humana's German headquarters in Herford.
"We will make every effort for very good cooperation and transparency and openness in order to get back the confidence which surely has been lost," he said, adding that the problem only affected Super Soya 1 and none of Humana's other products.
"The product has been stopped and we will get in contact with our partner Remedia to discuss the future," he said.
MILLIONS IN DAMAGES
A lack of vitamin B-1 can cause a disease called beriberi, characterized by inflammatory or degenerative changes to the nerves, digestive system, and heart.
Ted Smyth, a senior vice-president of Heinz International which has a 51 percent stake in Remedia Ltd, Humana's Israeli distributor, told a news conference in Tel Aviv he was "dismayed" over the mistake.
"Remedia relied on Humana. They supplied certificates to Remedia that showed the B-1 content...Naturally we are dismayed. But the mystery seems to have been solved," he said.
Earlier, lawyers for one family filed lawsuits in a Tel Aviv court seeking $230 million in damages from Humana and the Israeli Health Ministry.
A separate suit was filed by another Israeli family for some $26 million as compensation for pain, suffering and anguish.
Humana did not comment on the lawsuits, but Grosse Frie said while it accepted responsibility for its product lacking enough vitamin B-1, it was unclear what had made babies sick in Israel.
"There is currently a scientific debate going on whether the lack of B-1 vitamin is the sole cause," he said.
Humana, which exports its products to more than 30 countries and has an annual turnover of 2.53 billion euros ($2.91 billion), blamed the error on faulty analyzes of the recipes of two forerunners to Remedia Super Soya 1 used as the basis for the new product.
"These inaccurate calculations led to the conclusion that the natural B-1 content matched the levels required and that an additional B-1 supplement was not necessary as this would otherwise have resulted in an overdose of vitamin B-1," it said.
LAWYER SEEKS CLASS ACTION STATUS
Lawyer Michael Bach, representing the Israeli family that brought the $230 million suit, said he had asked to have the case treated as a class action and was awaiting the court's decision. He declined further comment about his clients.
Attorney Ram Gorodesky, representing a second family, said they had fed two children with the formula, and while none had been diagnosed with any illness, he was seeking damages for potential consumer fraud since the formula lacked B-1.
Police raided the offices of Remedia, which commands about one-third of Israel's non-dairy baby food market, on Monday.
The formula has been pulled off the shelves in Israel. Officials said an analysis showed it contained no B-1 despite a label that said it did, and that there was a link between the absence of the vitamin and the cases of beriberi.
B-1 is required to convert blood sugar into energy, for producing red blood cells, and is involved in metabolic activities in nerves, muscles and the heart.
(Additional reporting by Maia Ridberg in Tel Aviv)
Copyright © 2003 Reuters Limited.