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FDA Halts Shipments Of Kosher Baby Formula ‘Materna’

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Materna Baby Formula (Photo/CBS 2)

Materna Baby Formula (Photo/CBS 2)

NEW YORK (CBS 2) –  Some local mothers have been driven to a frenzy after a brand of kosher baby formula was pulled from store shelves.

The Food and Drug Administration stopped allowing Materna, a formula made in Israel. The FDA said “certain nutrients were inadequately declared on the label and there were also significant labeling violations.” However, the agency did not specify if there was anything dangerous about the formula.

At Pomegranate Grocery in Brooklyn, the coveted item was out of stock and had some “freaking out.”

“I’m going to every store to find it,” Zissy Yablonski told CBS 2′s Demetra Ganias.

Yablonski said she needed the brand because her son “couldn’t tolerate the other ones.”

“The Materna is very light. It fills the baby and it’s light,” she said.

While there are alternatives to the formula, some were found to be two and a half times the price. Another important issue concerning Materna was that it is made under the supervision of a rabbi that adheres to a higher standard and is much revered by the community.

Leah Tratner is a grandmother whose family swears by the elusive formula. She said her family used to buy the formula while they lived in Israel and “loved it.”

“It’s been crazy. It’s like they’re looking for the winning lottery ticket,” Pomegranate Grocery manager Gabe Boxer said.

As families continues to scoop up limited supply of the formula, the Materna website promised the company was working around the clock to resolve the issue.

SOUND-OFF: Have you been affected by the shortage of Materna baby formula?  Lets us know about your experience in the comments section…

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  • Aviva

    i need it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! bring it back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • mumma

    Ilona – Materna is strictly Kosher for the highest level of kosher observance – Natures one is not! There are no dairy other brands that are healthy and super kosher! soy is not a first choice for most pediatricians….

    • deb

      Similac has a line available in Brooklyn that holds to the same kosher observances as Materna…quite expensive though.

  • ilona

    natures one ..formula …the taste is comparable to european formulas ..not nasty tasting at all ..and its kosher …just a suggestion

  • Hershel

    This is being blown up into much more than it is. In the usual arrogant fashion of Israelis, the manufacturers of Materna ignored the constant warnings of the FDA to label their product in accordance with the relevant US regulations. At the end of the day the FDA got fed up with their non compliance and barred further imports. Consumers have no one to blame but the manufacturer.

  • Reuvan

    To Peter…While I admit this quote: “Another important issue concerning Materna was that it is made under the supervision of a rabbi that adheres to a higher standard and is much revered by the community” is misleading. You should understand the supervision referred to has nothing to due with “baby formula or heathful issues” it has to do with the supervision of the issues relating to the product being Kosher. This is NOT a scam. Torah observant Jews worldwide go to great lengths to honor and fulfill this requirement and are very concerned as to who does the supervising of the “kosher” aspects of a product. Please, it is an absolute insult to call kosher a “scam”. I would be delighted to go into more detail with you privately should you truly desire to be enlightened so that next time you may refrain from such broad and baseless accusations.

  • Peter

    I don’t think rabbis know anything about baby formula, nor do they know anything about healthful nutrition in general. Kosher is a scam. Peter

  • Eva

    I have used Isomil soy formula with 5 of my first children. It was hard for them to digest, it costantly constipated them, made them too sleepy, uncomfortable.
    When I discovered Materna, it made a tremendous difference for my babies. My last three babies have had Materna, it is so easy for them to digest, with no constipation, they are more alert, it seems to work with their digestive system much like breast milk. And there are no estrogen-like substances which are found in soy. I truly regret that Materna is no longer available. I believe it is not for health reasons. There must be some conspiracy here.

  • Moe

    How come Chuckie Schumer is silent on this?

  • suzanne moore

    “Leah Tratner is a grandmother whose family swears by the elusive formula. She said her family used to buy the formula while they lived in Israel and “loved it.”

    Really? They loved it? What did they love about it? Certainly not the taste. Or the smell. Did they even try it? Infant formula is one of the nastiest tasting substances on earth.

    • Luiza Amrom

      yes baby formula may not be pleasant to adults but it is good for babies. I personally know someone who actually eats the powder as a weight loss supplement which even gives many nutrients that keeps the body healthy.

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