I'm not one to take up causes. In fact, you could say that the only cause I ever take up is to deride those that take up causes. It was hard to get me riled up about Obama v. McCain, or even Lauren v. Heidi. I'm not the parent to get obsessed with the best schools or the newest parenting methods. Today, this ends.
Matilda is allergic to the protein in cow's milk. This protein is called casein and avoiding it costs money. When Annie was still drinking formula we used the generic Target version of Enfamil. It cost $13 for a 26 ounce can. The formula that does not contain casein—notice I use the singular here—is called Nutramigen. It is also an Enfamil product, but because it is hypoallergenic, it is so tightly regulated that the knockoff companies can't produce a generic version. We currently pay $27 for a 16 ounce can. I could only muster a C in a sad mandatory class called "Math Thinking" at Bloomsburg University, but I'm pretty sure that this works out to almost four times the cost.
We go through two cans a week. That works out to $240 a month just to feed a 10 month old. You can imagine how annoyed I am every Monday when my grocery receipt has that 60 bucks tacked on at the end.
I needed to buy my Nutramigen a day early this week—I must have spilled a scoop somewhere—and when I got it home I noticed that the scoop was about one third larger. I was worried that I would give Matilda the wrong amount so I gave the directions a quick once over. Nothing seemed amiss. Then when I added the formula to the water it looked different, creamier. It dawned on me that the powder was less dense.
Upon a full inspection of the can, I discovered that the same size now weighs 3.4 ounces less. I am being robbed by Enfamil and their parent company Mead Johnson. The label clearly states that the old can yielded 113 fluid ounces of formula. The new one? 87 ounces. That's 24% less formula!
Cause adopted.
Another quick nod to "Math Thinking" and I work out that this means my monthly formula tab has gone from $240 to $297. Yes America, my family now pays $3500 a year on formula.
So what is a parent to do? I could boycott Nutramigen, but that means a sick daughter or the purchase of a goat. I could try soy milk, but something about those soy milk people just screams cause adopter. The first thing I am going to do is write a really long, snarky letter to Mead Johnson. This will make me feel better and provide some entertainment for you.
So if anyone out there has some experience with casein allergies or in battling huge corporations, drop me a line. I will, of course, keep you posted on the growth of my very first cause. Hopefully you won't feel any differently about me when all is said and done.
I appluad the "Math Thinking" class for your expert reasoning! Your teacher would be proud!
Posted by: Liz | June 07, 2009 at 09:25 PM