Don’t give me honey, mummy

Date: 12/09/02

By Peter Chapman

JARS of honey should carry labels warning parents that children under the age of one risk contracting forms of the food poisoning bug botulism, scientists have warned.

In a report, experts from the EU's independent scientific committee on veterinary measures relating to public health said naturally occurring micro-organisms in honey were the main risk factor behind the disease - which has struck down 49 children in Europe since 1978.

Most at risk were babies aged under six months because their intestines are too immature to fend off the bacteria. By the age of one the intestines have developed and the children are then unlikely to be affected.

The disease is rarely fatal thanks to modern drugs. But in severe cases it can lead to sudden death - one reason why botulism was once linked to so-called cot death syndrome.

Although such links have now been discounted, the scientists' advice is that parents should avoid giving their babies honey - the favourite food of children's favourite Winnie the Pooh, and commonly smeared on bottle teats or added to formula milk to encourage feeding.

The EU committee is calling on health authorities to launch public information campaigns - for example, in pregnancy surgeries or pharmacies.

Health Commissioner David Byrne's spokeswoman Beate Gminder said officials would examine the report and may decide to help fund the cost of such initiatives. She added the Commission would also consider issuing a recommendation based on the scientists' advice direct to member states.

Jars of honey should carry labels warning parents that children under the age of one risk contracting forms of the food poisoning bug botulism, scientists have warned.