The Israeli government is considering legal action against the Israeli distributor and the German producer of a soy-based baby food believed to have caused the death of three babies and the serious illness of at least 16 in Israel in the past six months.
Additionally, two affected parents filed two class action lawsuits with the Tel Aviv District Court against the Israeli Remedia company on Monday, demanding hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation for the fact that its product lacked the essential vitamin B1, Israel Radio reported.
In one claim, a family is suing the company for 1 billion Israeli shekels (about $222-million) as compensation for the death of their 11-month-old daughter.
In the other claim, a family is demanding 115 million shekels (about $26-million) as a result of stress caused by feeding their baby the product.
The Israeli Health Ministry earlier issued a statement charging Remedia and the German Humana Milchunion company, which produces the soy-based baby formula, for the Israeli company with having failed to report changes they made to their milk substitute last April.
It accused the two companies of marketing a product without a licence, arguing the changes made ”completely cancel” the licence previously issued by the ministry for the formula.
The ministry conducted tests of the formula after it was found that an unusually high number of babies suffering from damage to the central nervous system were all fed on it.
According to the ministry, despite its label saying otherwise, the tests showed the formula has a ”complete lack” of vitamin B1, which is vital for the normal functioning of enzymes and nervous tissue.
Insufficient vitamin B1 causes beriberi, a disease characterised by neurological and gastrointestinal disturbances that in severe cases can lead to paralysis and death.
The ministry has asked parents of all babies fed with the soy-based formula during the past two months to see their paediatricians who, if necessary, could administer the vitamin.
The formula has in the meantime been taken off the shelves. About 5 000 Israeli children are believed to have been fed on it.
Remedia had no new comment on Monday, a spokesperson said.
However, full-page advertisements placed in the Israeli media on Monday said it was ”dumbstruck and pained” by the tragic deaths of the infants, which it promised to investigate speedily.
In a statement on Sunday, Remedia had said it had relied on an analysis received from Humana stating the product did contain vitamin B1.
The company said it sent its marketing manager and a team of experts to Germany on Sunday night to study the cause of the ”discrepancy” between the analysis from Humana and the absence of vitamin B1 in the product in reality.
A food engineer and nutritionist at the Health Ministry, together with the former director of the central Israeli Schneider Medical Centre, were also scheduled to fly to Germany on Monday to visit the plant where the Remedia formula is produced.
Humana said in a reaction that it was ”very concerned” and had taken ”all necessary steps” to study the issue, but added there was as yet no proof that consumption of its product had led to the babies’ illness.
Similar Humana products sold in Germany have caused no problems, the company said on Monday. — Sapa-DPA