MCT Oil and Plastic

November 2008

When we were told how to make the Elixir mixture the dietitian mentioned that the MCT oil breaks down plastic so we would need to dispose of the plastic syringes after a while of using them to squirt the MCT oil into the Elixir mixture. I asked about what type of container we needed to store the mixture in during the 24 hours it is allowed to sit in the refrigerator. She said for that amount of time a plastic container would be fine. So for about three months we were storing the prepared elixir in plastic containers in the fridge and then using plastic bottles to feed Sarah. From our understanding, according to the dietitian all of this was allowable.

At a certain point people on the FOD online support group were discussing thermoses and what kinds of liquid with MCT oil could be stored in for their child to take to school. I commented about what our dietitian had told us. Someone politely pointed out that because the MCT oil can break down plastic that they didn't think it was safe to store it in plastic at all. This got me questioning whether the dietitian had instructed us correctly.

I decided to contact Nestle (the maker of our MCT oil) directly and ask them what was acceptable. This was their response:

"Lisa, Thank you for your e-mail. The MCT® Oil and formula mixture needs to be stored in glass and fed with non plastic utensils such as a glass bottle. In regards to storing the product in a thermos check with the manufacturer of the thermos as some are stainless steel on the outside but have a different material on the inside. The MCT® Oil and formula mixture needs to be held under refrigeration in accordance with the time limit (24 hrs) as specified by your dietitian. Best wishes from your friends at Nestlé Healthcare Nutrition."

My reaction that I posted on the support group on November 10th, 2008: "Now I'm off to the store to buy glass bottles and containers. I wish I would have clarified this 3 months ago. I'm not even going dwell on the possible damage done to my daughter. And I forgive the dietitian for telling me the wrong information but I think I will call and nicely inform her that, according to the manufacturer, she is telling patients the wrong information."

We ended up needing to stop using all the plastic bottles we had purchased (which were the same Medela [read as "not cheap"] bottles used with the breast pump). Luckily the only glass bottle I could find without plastic parts inside the bottle were Evenflo Classic and you could get a 3 pack for just over $5. If only we had known . . . ah, the money we could have saved [sigh].

Because of our insurance switch, we no longer had the same dietitian. This experience helped to remind me that medical professionals are just people and they don't have all the answers. It's important to check information with the manufacturers. If I have any questions now about things I am giving to Sarah, I call the manufacturers.