Heavy metals and the diet of infants and young children: what you need to know

Posted on: September 08, 2021

Baby food and drinks in the UK are amongst some of the most regulated and safe products available on the market. Companies in the UK are very diligent when it comes to food safety, including the presence of heavy metals, and take their responsibility very seriously, often putting in place stricter rules than are required by legislation.

Continue reading

Arsenic: what you need to know - update July 2021

Posted on: July 07, 2021

BSNA members manufacture products aimed specifically at infants and young children which are highly regulated, including the level of a number of naturally occurring contaminants such as arsenic. This update explains more about arsenic and about rice in a baby's diet. What is arsenic and where is it found? Arsenic is a natural component of the Earth and is widely found in the environment in the air, soil and water. Consequently, arsenic can be found in a wide range of foods, such as grains, although, rice is known to concentrate more inorganic arsenic compared to other cereals.

Continue reading

New report from BSNA: Enabling informed decision making and respecting parent choices in infant feeding

New report from BSNA: Enabling informed decision making and respecting parent choices in infant feeding

Posted on: March 19, 2021

A new report outlines the findings of a survey commissioned by BSNA to explore the views of midwives and health visitors on their ability to support parents in their decisions around infant feeding. It also reports on whether parents feel empowered to make informed choices and explores what support, advice and information they need both during pregnancy and in the first year of parenthood.

Continue reading

Tipping The Balance - the role of medical foods in managing the COVID-19 Pandemic

Tipping The Balance - the role of medical foods in managing the COVID-19 Pandemic

Posted on: March 04, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the unprecedented expansion of and challenge to critical care services. This has meant a significant increase in the demand for nutritional support and dietetic care, including the use of medical foods. BSNA members committed to supporting the health and wellbeing of patients who have been admitted to hospital with COVID-19 and in recovery.

Continue reading

MEPs call on European Commission and EU Member States to include nutrition and nutritional care in all EU health programmes

MEPs call on European Commission and EU Member States to include nutrition and nutritional care in all EU health programmes

Posted on: October 27, 2020

At the EU4Nutrition LIVE event earlier this months, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) Mr Marc Tarabella, Mr Aldo Patriciello, and Ms Sara Cerdas joined with renowned European experts to call upon the European Commission and EU Member States to include nutrition and nutritional care in all EU health programmes and recommendations for national health policies.

Continue reading

ESPEN-ONCA-MNI Joint Session

Posted on: September 03, 2019

The 41st Congress of the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) took place in the beautiful city of Krakow, Poland this weekend, gathering more than 3500 healthcare professionals from 91 countries. On Monday 2 September, the ESPEN-ONCA-MNI Joint Session took place, where experts discussed ways to deliver better nutritional care to patients.

Continue reading

The Changing Face of Parenteral Nutrition in Oncology

The Changing Face of Parenteral Nutrition in Oncology

Posted on: May 31, 2018 • Author: Naomi Johnson

Choosing the appropriate nutritional intervention can play an important role in the patient’s prognosis, wellbeing and overall quality of life, either on the road to recovery or for end of life. Parenteral nutrition is an effective form of nutrition support, which can play an important role in patient care. Continued research will help to underpin and strengthen current recommendations to ensure that parenteral nutrition is offered under the correct circumstances, to those who are most likely to require it and that healthcare professionals have the necessary guidance and support in this decision making.

Continue reading

Time to take food allergy seriously

Time to take food allergy seriously

Posted on: April 26, 2018 • Author: Rebecca Stevenson, UK Medical Director at global healthcare company Abbott

As a parent, giving your child the best possible start in life is your number one priority, and that includes giving them the right nutrition for healthy growth and development. However, when your child has a food allergy, this can be easier said than done.

Continue reading

Forgotten not Fixed: the increasing burden of malnutrition in England

Forgotten not Fixed: the increasing burden of malnutrition in England

Posted on: March 12, 2018

The increasing number of cases of malnutrition in hospital and associated deaths reflect a system-wide failure to consistently screen and manage patients who are either malnourished or at risk of malnutrition. Drawing upon malnutrition data broken down by NHS Trust for 2015/16, new research commissioned by BSNA has found that more than half the hospital Trusts in England are significantly under-reporting malnutrition rates compared to accepted national estimates.

Continue reading

Managing tube feeding on holiday

Managing tube feeding on holiday

Posted on: August 16, 2017 • Author: Hospital2Home Manager for Abbott’s nutrition business in the UK

Most of us look forward to going on holiday or travelling to another country at this time of year. While it’s generally exciting, for someone who is tube fed it can also be daunting and it takes some organisation. The good news is that services provided by medical nutrition companies support these patients, allowing them to live their life to the fullest as possible, at home or away.

Continue reading

30 Years of PINNT!

Posted on: August 09, 2017

It is so easy to take the simple notion of eating for granted and the benefit our bodies receive from this essential energy and nourishment. However, issues such as illness, inability to get sufficient nutrients from food alone, decreased appetite and swallowing difficulties, as well as functional issues with the stomach or bowel, including surgery to remove all or part of these organs, can mean that nutrition must be supplied in a different way.

Continue reading

Home Artificial Nutrition Awareness Week 2017

Home Artificial Nutrition Awareness Week 2017

Posted on: August 07, 2017

​BSNA is pleased to support PINNT (Patients on Intravenous and Naso-gastric Nutrition Therapy) Home Artificial Nutrition Awareness Week 2017 from 7 - 13 August. PINNT is committed to improving the daily lives of all adults and children receiving artificial nutrition (AN) therapies, by improving awareness and understanding of those therapies, as well as patient experience and interaction with health and care services.

Continue reading

World Breastfeeding Week 2017

World Breastfeeding Week 2017

Posted on: August 03, 2017

This week we salute World Breastfeeding Week. Breastfeeding is the best way to feed an infant and is important for both mother and baby’s health and wellbeing. The World Health Organisation recommends that infants are exclusively breastfed until six months of age, after which breastfeeding is complemented with the appropriate introduction of solid food until two years of age and beyond.

Continue reading

The Role of Specialist Formula Milks

The Role of Specialist Formula Milks

Posted on: August 02, 2017 • Author: Laura Forwood, Medical Nutrition Manager for Abbott’s nutrition business in the UK

Breastfeeding is the best way to feed a baby and is important for both mum and baby. The World Health Organization recommends that babies are exclusively breastfed until six months of age, after which breastfeeding is complemented with the introduction of solid foods until the age of two.

Continue reading

Survey highlights the importance of gluten-free prescriptions in supporting patients with coeliac disease

Survey highlights the importance of gluten-free prescriptions in supporting patients with coeliac disease

Posted on: July 03, 2017 • Author: Martha Hughes

A recent Department of Health consultation on the availability of gluten-free foods on prescription for patients with coeliac disease prompted BSNA to seek the views of patients, along with parents and carers of sufferers, to understand the role of a gluten-free prescription in managing their lifelong condition.

Continue reading

The Role of Foods for Special Medical Purposes: An infant perspective

Posted on: June 22, 2017 • Author: Martha Hughes

At any age, for a variety of reasons, an individual can experience periods when food alone, or modification of the diet, is not successful in meeting the body’s nutritional requirements. Foods for special medical purposes (FSMPs) are foods which have been formulated to help meet the nutritional or dietary needs of patients living with a disease, disorder or medical condition when this situation arises.

Continue reading

NEW RESEARCH: Exploring the optimal use of supplemental parenteral nutrition (SPN): a study of underweight and overweight critically ill patients

Posted on: June 21, 2017

It is thought that patients in intensive care units (ICU) may benefit from additional calorie and protein delivery in the first week of care. However, data has shown surgical ICU patients to be more poorly fed than other ICU groups. In a previous international multicentre, observational study, significant results for an additional 1000kcals in those with a body mass index (BMI) of <25 or >35 were observed. This calorie increase was associated with an almost 50% reduction of 60-day mortality in these groups, independent of the route of delivery (either parenteral nutrition [EN] or enteral nutrition [PN]).

Continue reading

The psychological impact of breastfeeding grief on new mothers

The psychological impact of breastfeeding grief on new mothers

Posted on: May 26, 2017

​Breastfeeding is the best way to feed a baby and is important for both mother and baby’s health and wellbeing. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that babies are exclusively breastfed until six months of age, after which breastfeeding should be complemented with the appropriate introduction of solid foods until two years of age. However, a recent article has highlighted the emotional and psychological challenges faced by a mother who has been unable to breastfeed.

Continue reading

Coeliac Awareness Week 2017

Coeliac Awareness Week 2017

Posted on: May 11, 2017

BSNA supports Coeliac Awareness Week 2017. As part of Coeliac Awareness Week, Coeliac UK is asking community pharmacies to talk with people who are regularly accessing prescription or over-the-counter treatments for irritable bowel syndrome or anaemias to prompt them to be tested for coeliac disease.

Continue reading