About 1.5 weeks ago, I opened 1 box of Healthy Times Barley Cereal and was appalled to see at least three black insects (approximately 1-cm long each) hopping and crawling inside the inner packaging. For hygiene reasons, I asked my husband to dispose the box of cereal immediately.

I proceeded to open the next box of cereal and was again shocked to see many small black insects crawling inside the inner packaging. One insect was at the box flap. We took photographs which clearly show the insects in the contaminated box of cereal (see below).

A formal complaint was sent within a day to Healthy Times HQ. However, after more than a week, no one has given me a response. You may view the contents of the complaint letter below.

The complaint has been forwarded to AVA (Singapore), FDA (of the U.S.), Cold Storage (Malaysia), Country Farm Organics, and the Healthy Times distributor in Singapore.

If you have any similar cereal at home, please check it carefully before feeding your baby.

Expiry date: Sep 01 2011 20:56

Insect seen at top left corner of box flap

More insects seen inside the packaging

More insects inside packaging

Dear CEO at Healthy Times,

Introduction

I am a Singaporean mother to a 16-month old toddler and we are based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The purpose of this letter is to make a complaint on two boxes of Healthy Times Barley Cereal opened last evening. The expiry date is Sep 01 2011 20:56, yet the inner packaging have been infested with insects.

Background

When my boy started eating semi-solid foods at 6 to 7 months old, my friend highly recommended Healthy Times organic cereal. Since then, my boy has tried the brown rice cereal, oat cereal and barley cereal and enjoys eating them. Even though the prices are high, we trusted your brand, continued buying your products and even recommended them to our friends.

A few months back, some mothers in an online forum mentioned worms found in Healthy Times cereal. I brushed it off as a rumour, decided to place my trust in Healthy Times and continued buying two boxes of cereal this month.

Our Situation

This month, I bought two boxes of Healthy Times Barley Cereal at Cold Storage (The Gardens, Mid Valley, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) on two separate weekends. The expiry date of each box is Sep 01 2011 20:56.

Last evening (25 Jun 2010), I opened one of the two boxes of cereal and was appalled to see at least three black insects (approximately 1-cm long each) hopping and crawling inside the inner packaging. For hygiene reasons, I asked my husband to dispose the box of cereal immediately.

I proceeded to open the next box of cereal and was again shocked to see many small black insects crawling inside the inner packaging. One insect was at the box flap.

We took photographs which clearly show the insects in the contaminated box of cereal.

My husband placed the inner package of unopened cereal into a zipper bag and we took a video which shows the moving insects.

I placed the package in another zipper bag and stored it in an airtight container. This could be submitted to the relevant authorities for further investigation when required.

A possible cause of the contamination: The inner packaging was not sealed until air-tight during the packaging process.

As the photographs and video files are very huge, only three are enclosed for your current reference. The others could be emailed to you separately or uploaded to the Internet.

Our Actions Taken

Besides sending this letter to you, a notice of this incident has been (or would be) made to the following relevant parties:

• U.S. FDA
• Cold Storage, Malaysia
• Country Farm Organics, Malaysia (where we bought Healthy Times cereal in the past)
• Damon & Diorne Pte. Ltd., Singapore (sole distributor of Healthy Times products in Singapore)
• Mummy’s Reviews™, Singapore (my company’s website with many readers who buy Healthy Times cereal for their babies)

Actions Needed From Healthy Times

To protect your customers’ babies’ health, please consider the following actions:

• conduct an immediate voluntary recall of the affected batch of barley cereal (especially the one with expiry date on Sep 01 2011 20:56)
• investigate the factory’s packaging process
• update me on your planned actions and findings

I hope that you would look into this matter closely and bring only the safest food products to the market.

Yours sincerely,

MieVee (pen-name)

Singapore & Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Reference: http://idobaby.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=33074

Update on 13 Jul 2010:

Healthy Times and other parties did not respond to my email at all. Not even an acknowledgement.

In contrast, the complaint was forwarded to AVA Singapore on 8 Jul and an officer replied within 2 hours! Just now, another officer sent the following email that highlights the findings from their investigation:

Dear Ms MieVee

Please refer to your email dated 8 Jul 2010.

2          AVA’s investigation showed that the Singapore importer for the “Healthy Times Barley Cereal” is M/s Damon & Diorne Pte Ltd and according to them, they only distribute the said product in Singapore market.  They do not distribute the product in Malaysia.

3          We have conducted a check at the said importer’s warehouse and found that the “Healthy Times Barley Cereal” is out of stock and the next consignment will arrive in Singapore for sale most probably in Sep 2010.

4          We also did a random check in the retail outlets that carry the said product and found that the expiry dates of the product is in May & June 2012 as differ from the ones mentioned by you which expire in Sep 01 2011.  Our physical inspection of the implicated product which expire in May/Jun 2012 showed that they were in satisfactory condition and free from any insects infestation.

5          You may wish to be informed that factors contributing to food spoilage and contamination include the storage temperature and storage condition of the warehouse and retail outlets and the manner which the food is being handled.

6          We thank you for bringing the matter to our attention.

Yours sincerely

Tan Charlie | Inspection Division, Quarantine & Inspection Department | Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority

Tel No. | Fax 6324 4563 | Website www.ava.gov.sg

© 2009-2012 Veezian Pte. Ltd. | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Mummy's Reviews™ subscribers. If you like this post, you may share its link: Our Healthy Times Barley Cereal Infested with Insects. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited.

Related posts:

1. Review: O Organics Single Grain Rice Cereal (for 4 Months & Up)
2. Giveaway #6: Playhouse Disney Goodies (Stay Healthy with Fit Fit Hurray Programs)
3. Review: Fisher-Price Healthy Care™ Deluxe Booster Seat

My guest article on “Introducing Solid Foods to Your Baby” to Today’s Motherhood has been published! View the write-up in the Feb/Mar 2010 issue, pages 16-17 or below.

Read these reviews on some of our favourite feeding ‘tools’:

• Fisher-Price Healthy Care™ Deluxe Booster Seat
• Munchkin Stay-Put Bowls
• Combi Mug (Step 4 – Standard Mug)
• Wet bags

Also, join in Giveaway #3 to win a gorgeous bib for your baby.

What problems have you faced on introducing solid foods to your baby?
What tips would you like to share on overcoming these problems?

—

Introduction

During dinner, your baby suddenly stretches out her hand and tries to grab your spoon. Then she starts to wake up more frequently for milk at night. You start to think, “Is it time to start her on solid foods?”

Wait a minute. Before offering her the first spoon of solid food, take note of the following frequently-asked questions as this article shares what I have learnt and some experiences with my 11-month old son.

When to Start Feeding Solid Foods?

The World Health Organization (WHO) and breastfeeding experts worldwide recommend that all babies be exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of life. This generally means no cereal, juice or any other foods until your baby is about 6 months old. Some signs that your baby is developmentally ready are:

• Loss of tongue-thrust reflex (pushing food out of mouth with her tongue)
• Sitting up without support
• Interested when you are eating

How to Get Started on Feeding?

Creating an interest in and a positive attitude towards taking solid foods is very important for your baby’s long-term development and health. Offer a small amount of food (about 1 tablespoon) and allow baby to participate by holding the spoon or your little finger. My son is very enthusiastic about self-feeding and eats more when he helps to feed himself. Until today, he loves solid foods and enjoys meal-times.

Offering food also means that baby need not eat or finish the food if she is not interested. Keep offering food on a daily basis and encourage her to eat.

Get an appropriate highchair or booster seat so that your baby can sit comfortably during meal-times. Personally, I help my boy to learn what he is having for his meals and minimise distractions (i.e. no toys and no T.V. ) for a more pleasant feeding time and to inculcate healthy eating habits.

What Foods to Feed and How to Prepare Them?

To recognise a food that your baby may be allergic to, these are some points worth noting:

• Introduce one new food at a time
• Introduce it in small amounts (about 1 tablespoon and increase it gradually) for at least 3 to 7 days in a row
• Recognise the possible signs of an allergic reaction (e.g. rashes, diarrhoea, gassiness)

I was advised to avoid offering baby the more allergenic foods until he is older. Examples of such foods are: wheat, orange and other citrus foods, dairy, eggs and tomatoes. You should also find out if there is a history of food allergy in your family when planning your baby’s menu.

Some common choices for first foods are baby rice cereal, pears, bananas, apples, avocados and sweet potatoes. I prefer organic produce which are free from artificial fertilisers and pesticides, and always wash the produce well before cooking them.

My post-natal nurse taught me to cook all the foods, including fruits (with the exception for avocados), so that baby is able to digest them more easily. In general, I steam the vegetables or fruits (with skin on) for about 20 minutes until they are soft, then remove the skin (if any), and mash them with a fork and through a sieve until they are fine enough for baby to eat. No seasoning such as sugar or salt is needed.

How Much to Feed?

Solid foods are meant to complement and not replace milk feeds before your baby’s first birthday. About an hour after her late morning milk feed, and when she is well-rested, you may offer her a suitable first food as lunch.

I chose baby rice cereal as the first food and found it easy to introduce my son to it by giving him half the usual milk feed and adding expressed breastmilk (EBM) to the cereal, which he accepted very well. A month later, he started taking dinner, and another month later, he began eating breakfast. In between the meals, he continue to have breastmilk.

Observe your baby to decide how much and how frequent to feed her solid foods. When she turns away, stops opening her mouth or fusses, it may be that she has eaten enough.

What Else Should I Note?

When you are unsure about areas related to introducing solid foods to your baby, always consult a qualified paediatrician. The following are some useful references:

• kellymom, Solid Foods and the Breastfed Baby & Toddler
• World Health Organisation, Guiding Principles for Complementary Feeding of the Breastfed Child
• World Health Organisation, Guiding Principles for Feeding Non-Breastfed Children 6-24 Months of Age (2005)
• AskDrSears.com, Feeding Infants and Toddlers

© 2009-2012 Veezian Pte. Ltd. | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Mummy's Reviews™ subscribers. If you like this post, you may share its link: Introducing Solid Foods to Your Baby. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited.

No related posts.

For Baby V’s first semi-solid meal, I was looking for an organic rice cereal and bought O Organics Single Grain Rice Cereal from Country Farm Organics (Bangsar Village) to try. The purchase was out of convenience rather than a diligent shopping effort.

The 16oz (454g) pack costs about RM45 and has to be consumed within 30 days of opening. This is a product of Safeway in the U.S.A. and consists of organic brown rice, alpha-amylase (enzyme) and electrolytic iron. After adding milk or water to the cereal to the desired consistency, it would be ready for consumption.

For Baby V’s first meal, I added expressed breastmilk and cooled boiled water to 1 tablespoon of cereal. The mixture was very easily prepared. As the cereal was rather liquid and contained the familiar taste of breastmilk, Baby V finished the entire portion. I tried a bit of the mixture and it tasted fine.

For his second meal, I added only water to 2 tablespoons of cereal until a relatively thick consistency was achieved. He finished the portion again and wanted more!

However, the pack is too big for a baby to finish in 30 days, so I had to eat the cereal for breakfast as well.

I would be shopping around for other brands of organic baby rice cereal. If you have any recommendations, feel free to drop me a message. Thank you very much!

Pros:

• Easy to prepare
• Smooth consistency
• Baby V enjoyed eating it

Cons:

• Packaging needs improvement — cereal could not be poured easily from side spout and box was not easily opened to empty contents
• Pack is too big for baby to finish in 30 days

© 2009-2012 Veezian Pte. Ltd. | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Mummy's Reviews™ subscribers. If you like this post, you may share its link: Review: O Organics Single Grain Rice Cereal (for 4 Months & Up). Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited.

Related posts:

1. Review: AVENT Magic Cup Soft Spout (For 6 Months +)
2. Our Healthy Times Barley Cereal Infested with Insects
3. Baby V Turns 10 Months Old