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Reply from Organix - "Ideal from 4 months"

11 replies

Flamesparrow · 29/01/2007 10:37

The bits between * are what I emailed them.

Slightly at the mothers being frustrated not able to express... when are they meant to be expressing???




Thank you for your email and please accept my sincere apologies that I have not yet responded to your email. We have been discussing reviewing the DOH and WHO guidelines and I therefore wanted to wait to inform you of our stance on the 6 month guideline.
In answer to your questions please see below:
"Comments/Suggestions : Your labelling of stage one baby food is misleading. It is not "ideal" from 4 months. Breastmilk is ideal from 4 months... your food is "suitable" from 4 months. Stating that it is suitable from 4 months and adding the current recommended guidelines not to wean until 6 months would be much more accurate and beneficial to new mums."

Firstly, to cover your first point, we no longer say 'ideal from 4 months' on any of our packaging so believe you may have been referring to some old packaging which is no longer on sale. Thank you for raising this with us, we have checked the situation and our fruit pots/purees packaging has now changed to 'Stage 1, from 4-6 months'.

On your next point, we are in the process of reviewing our statement on 6 months and exclusive breastfeeding and we are working to change the way we say this on all of our marketing literature and website and then our packaging. Our packaging for weaning babies currently says: Stage One, from 4-6 months. After reviewing other similar foods in the market for stage one babies we have found that the recommended age range of 4 to 6 months for stage one babies is standard. However, we are always reviewing this and will keep you updated should there be any further developments.

Regarding the Department of Health statement on our packaging we do have the following sentence on all of our Stage One packaging for babies. The sentence now reads: "Babies should not be introduced to solid foods until 4-6 months of age. The Department of Health recommends exclusive breast feeding for the first 6 months. Your health visitor can advise of the best time to start weaning". We are now reviewing this statement again to hopefully include "The DOH and WHO recommend exclusive breast feeding from 6 months".
As an ethical company, we do support the DOH and WHO guidelines however, we also understand that some mothers find it difficult to express and therefore feel very frustrated about the guidelines and of course, some babies develop quicker than others so we say "Stage One - from 4 to 6 months" but we do support the guidelines of breastfeeding until 6 months unless of course you cant or your Health Visitor or GP advise otherwise.

"Packaging - Although I am sure the banana porridge etc is in yoghurt pots for a cost issue, and they have no labels for the same reason - it would help to label them with the food title on the lids rather than just the ingredients... when you are exhausted after sleepless nights and on the last pot (so the printed cardboard bit of the 4 pack is gone), it is a nightmare trying to read the small print to work out if you are about to give your baby banana porridge or blueberry pudding for breakfast!! "

On this, the name of the food is now printed directly on the lids along with the best before end date and batch reference so I think we have solved this problem for you since you emailed us in October 2006.
I do hope this helps to answer your questions. Once again, please accept my sincere apologies for not responding to you sooner. As a gesture of our goodwill I would like to offer you a selection of foods and some money off vouchers for your child. If you would like to take me up on this offer, please forward your address to me and your child's date of birth/age and I will do that as soon as I receive a reply back from you.

Kindest Regards
Marie Van Hagen
Consumer Services Manager

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Tommy · 29/01/2007 11:01

hmm - the "expressing" bit is not clear is it?

I think the rest of it shows they are trying!

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Flamesparrow · 29/01/2007 11:08

I was especially pleased with "send us your address and we'll give you stuff"

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CanStarveWillStarve · 29/01/2007 22:53

I'm guessing that they are talking about women who have put their children into nursery before 6 months, and can't express milk to feed them during the day, so give them purees instead and no milk. Do such people exist?

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Flamesparrow · 30/01/2007 11:24

You should see the HUGE box of stuff that just arrived

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Jennster · 30/01/2007 17:42

FLAMESPARROW

We have the same letter (almost). I let them off lighter than you. I sent my original letter on 30th October and didn't even get a response until 8th december(when they said they were looking into it). I realised I still hadn't had a reply on Sunday so asked them if they were going to answer my query, and was sent this reply this morning.


Thank you for your email and please accept my sincere apologies that I have not yet responded to your email since Christmas. There is no excuse for this only that I thought I had replied to you already so again, please accept my personal sincere apologies for this.

In answer to both of your questions:


I'm curious as to why you are advising the ginger bread biscuits as suitable from 12 months, while the Moon Biscuits are apparently suitable from 9 months?

I have spoken with our Technical Manager and Product Development Team about this and they have informed me that the only reason the age ranges are different for each of these foods is because of the texture. The Gingerbread Men are much harder than the Moon Biscuits and therefore if we had advised that the Gingerbread Men were also from 9 months, they would be a choking hazard. Whenever we launch any of our foods we always send them to GP's and Health Professionals to ask them their opinion on the age suitability so we do act with care when placing a recommended age range on our foods.

I would also like to know why you sell food advertised as suitable for use from 4 months, when the WHO advise no solid food until the age of 6 months.

We are in the process of reviewing our statement on 6 months and exclusive breastfeeding and we are working to change this on all of our packaging and marketing materials in the future so that it is far clearer to our consumers. Our packaging for weaning babies currently says: "Babies should not be introduced to solid foods until 4-6 months of age. The Department of Health recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months. Your health visitor can advise of the best time to start weaning".

Organix do support the guidelines given by The Department of Health and WHO however we also understand that some babies develop quicker than others and from talking to consumers on a daily basis understand that the 6-month guideline frustrates some mothers as they find it difficult to express anyway let alone for 6 months so, this subject is a controversial one. I do want to assure you though that we do support the Department of Health and WHO guidelines and are working towards making our claims on packaging and marketing materials clearer.

As an apology from me I would like to send you a selection of our foods to say sorry for such a late reply this is not normal practice. If you would like to take me up on this offer please forward your address to me and I will do that today for you. I will also send some money off vouchers for you.

I hope this helps.

Regards,
Marie Van Hagen
Consumer Services Manager

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Jennster · 30/01/2007 17:42

I got a huge box too!

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Flamesparrow · 30/01/2007 17:47

What is it with this expressing thing???

Boxes are good though

Thinking of complaining to johnson's about babywipes...

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DizzyBint · 30/01/2007 17:51

i might send them a letter questioning what they said about HVs...

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themildmanneredjanitor · 30/01/2007 17:59

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

lulumama · 30/01/2007 18:04

i got my email and a big hamper too !

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Flamesparrow · 30/01/2007 19:33

Just found DH rummaging through asking if they make rusks

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