Everybody needs calcium, pregnant and lactating women especially, and the best source is milk – usually from cows, hereabouts ((Breast is best ... for the planet too, Letters, august 14). If you're a vegan, or lactose intolerant, as I am, calcium can be obtained from bread, green vegetables, nuts, sesame seeds etc. I had to rely on a prescribed calcium supplement when pregnant. For most people, especially children, cow's milk is by far the easiest way to supply this dietary need.

And of course, women of childbearing age need extra iron, and where better to get it than from mince (and tatties. The tattie, when not converted into a chip, is a good source of Vitamin C).

I presume even a still-nursing two-year old is getting food from other sources than mother's breast, so what about all these pots and pans, wooden spoons (you could save a tree if you gave these up) food processors and all that other planet-damaging clutter it takes to make pablum for children?

Oh dearie me, I fear there's no end to it.

Alison McAdam

Dundee