A report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, blamed the formula industry’s aggressive campaigns to the detriment of child nutrition and international commitments.
In an unpublished document based on the experiences of new mothers and pregnant women in 8 countries, the organizations point to marketing practices aimed at influencing parents to opt for infant formula instead of breast milk.
The study took place (Bangladesh, China, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa, United Kingdom, Vietnam and Morocco and heard the experiences of more than 8500 women and more than 300 health professionals.
The document “exposes the aggressive marketing practices used by the formula industry” and their impact on families.
As many as 51% of respondents to the report “say they have been the target of marketing by manufacturers of breastmilk substitutes, which very often violate international infant feeding standards”.
The case is important because the industry of infant formula weighs 55 billion dollars, and favors gain “to the detriment of nutrition for children and in violation of international commitments”, estimates the WHO and UNICEF.
For the two organizations that sign this report, the formula industry spreads misleading messages about breast milk and calls for protecting mothers from the practices of this industry.
“This report shows very clearly that the marketing of breastmilk substitutes is far too widespread, misleading and pushy,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of WHO. “There is an urgent need to adopt and enforce regulations on abusive marketing to protect the health of children,” he said.
For her part, Catherine Russell, Executive Director of UNICEF, said that “false and misleading messages about breast-milk substitutes constitute a significant obstacle to breastfeeding which, as we know, is the best choice for babies and their mothers.
They denounce practices contrary to the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes (the Code), a historic public health agreement adopted by the World Health Assembly in 1981 to protect mothers against offensive marketing practices by food manufacturers. for babies.
These practices manifest themselves in unregulated and invasive online targeting in advertising, sponsored advice networks and helplines, promotions and free gifts with the purchase of milk and infant products, and practices aimed at to influence the training of health workers.
WHO and UNICEF and their partners are “calling on governments, health workers and the baby food industry to end the abusive marketing of infant formula” and to meet the requirements of the Code.
The two organizations also call on governments to monitor and enforce laws to prevent the promotion of infant formula and cite examples, such as banning nutrition and health claims.
They also call for investing in policies and programs to support breastfeeding, including adequate paid parental leave in line with international standards, and ensuring high quality breastfeeding support, or prohibiting health workers to accept sponsorship from companies that market foods for infants and young children for scholarships, awards, grants, meetings or events.
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