Here in the states we basically do force key nutritional items on people...certain things flour rice and milk are basically required to be supplemented to prevent some of the early term developmental defects as well as certain later deficits.

Regarding the Italian lady it may actually be because she wasn't British that she wasn't treated fairly...I never saw the final outcome to that case I really hope she got her kid back after the media storm...I think the baby would be British/Italian citizen but I'm not sure if England recognizes dual citizenship...so that may have complicated things if the kid was British but not the mom.