Similac Organic.. Can I have Sugar with that?

So I recently posted this on my mother's playgroup message board and someone pointed out that the language is MAY and not DOES or MIGHT but not IS. Anyway... aspertame might have cancer causing side effects that might be worse in children, but I'm not giving that to my daughter either.

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/05/19/9057/

Apparently, the organic version of similac baby formula has had a lot of sugar put into it to sweeten it up. Will it cause babies to potentially turn away from other foods because they have developed a sweet tooth? Will it cause them to become obese as babies? I don't fully know, but the bottom line, I think, is that there are plenty of Organic products out there that don't feel the need to sugar their formulas up like this and so it obviously doesn't add any nutritional value, just makes it sweeter and therefore more appealing. You know... like sugary cereals for children. If there weren't such sweet options, children wouldn't be tempted to eat them.

For me the disappointing thing and the thing I hope that articles like this (and hopefully the backlash from it) will alter, is that lately everyone is jumping on the organic bandwagon, but some of these big companies are doing their bare minimum that they have to do to get the organic label on their product instead of understand the consumer of organic foods and wanting to provide what they are looking for. Someone who is buying organic is generally someone who is concerned about their health and food intake. It is morally wrong of these companies, in my opinion, to not follow desire of the customer but instead deliver something that if they knew what was truly in it, they would cringe and then label it organic. It may be legal, but it isn't what the Organic movement is all about. We want healthy food for healthy living.

Thank god that this didn't exist when we first started Ari on formula. When it did come out, she was already used to hers and we didn't want to switch her, but I always looked at it thinking, if only it had come out sooner. Now... I am so happy it didn't.

You can still choose to use this formula, but better to be informed than to go in blind. :)

Happy Father's day to all the fathers out there and especially to Ari's amazing father, my amazing father, and my amazing father-in-law. We love you all very much!