A couple is accused of having caused the death of their 7-month-old baby, who died of dehydration and malnutrition, after having been exclusively fed on vegetable milk.
In Belgium, a couple is accused of causing the death of their baby, who died at the age of seven months of dehydration and chronic malnutrition. The parents, believing their child to be lactose and gluten intolerant, fed him exclusively vegetable milk since he was three months old. According to the prosecutor in charge of the case, “it amounts to a deliberate refusal of food”, can we read on the Belgian media 7 of 7.
The parents, who own an organic store, explained that their babies have a poor tolerance for breast milk. They then turned to artificial milk, which they ultimately did not retain, preferring to give their baby vegetable milk made from rice, oats, quinoa or buckwheat.
4.34 kilos
In June 2014, the child, seized with severe vomiting, was taken to a homeopathic doctor. The practice was located an hour from their home, but the couple, very reluctant to use conventional medicine, preferred it to another medical practice. The professional, however, sent the family to the emergency room. The baby died on the road.
At the autopsy, forensic scientists were able to determine that the child had suffered from severe dehydration and malnutrition, which led to his death. On the day of his death, the little boy weighed only 4.34 kilograms, a weight much lower than the growth charts.
Two versions
Two versions are opposed in this trial. That of the prosecutor, who estimates that “this infant has lost two kilos without his parents acting. They persisted in giving alternatives to traditional milk. It is voluntary malnutrition. Such behavior must be continued ”. Faced with this speech, that of the parents, who swear not to understand what happened.
“Being prosecuted for deliberate refusal of food, I cannot accept it. I even got up four times a night to feed my baby, ”the mother explained in tears. “In our eyes, we were doing nothing wrong and did our best to take care of our baby”, for his part pleaded the father.
Dangerous food
This family drama reminds us that plant milk cannot replace breast milk during the first months of life. In its first year of life, the infant experiences a phase of rapid growth. His birth weight is multiplied by three and his brain is growing in the same proportions. This period is particularly important for the development of the infant, and requires precise food intake.
The Francophone Society of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism recently communicated on the dangers of plant-based milks (soy, almonds, hazelnuts, chestnuts, quinoa, etc.) for newborns. Their use tends to spread but their administration to infants is akin to a form of “nutritional abuse”, the scientists had insisted.
Indeed, these vegetable drinks do not have enough calories and present unbalanced nutritional intake. They lack lipids, and their protein and calcium content is not adapted to the needs of the child.
The exclusive use of these drinks is therefore likely to lead to states of malnutrition with serious and even fatal consequences. Faced with the resurgence of problems of this type, the National Food Safety Agency (ANSES) issued an opinion in March 2015, which formally advises against the use of these vegetable milks.
Plant-based drinks are sometimes used to alleviate a baby’s intolerance to cow’s milk proteins present in formula. In this case, ANSES reminds us, it is possible to use preparations based on vegetable proteins (generally soya), but these must be prescribed by a doctor and not purchased on the market. Their formula is then designed to precisely cover the needs of the infant.
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