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Babies Before Bottom Line: Over Half of Parents Exposed to Aggressive Baby Formula Marketing – UNICEF

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A new analysis exposes the $55 billion Baby formula industry’s unethical practices, which jeopardize child nutrition and violate international agreements.

51 percent of parents and pregnant women who were surveyed for a new WHO/UNICEF report said that infant formula milk companies have tried to get them to buy their products. Most of this marketing is against international standards on how babies should be fed.

“This report shows very clearly that formula milk marketing remains unacceptably pervasive, misleading and aggressive,” says Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Regulations on exploitative marketing must be urgently adopted and enforced to protect children’s health.”

According to the report, which surveyed 8,500 parents and pregnant women, as well as 300 health workers in cities throughout Bangladesh, China, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and Viet Nam, exposure to formula milk marketing reaches 84 percent of all women surveyed in the United Kingdom, 92 percent of women surveyed in Viet Nam, and 97 percent of women surveyed in China, increasing their likelihood of formula feeding.

“False and misleading messages about formula feeding are a substantial barrier to breastfeeding, which we know is best for babies and mothers,” adds UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “We need robust policies, legislation and investments in breastfeeding to ensure that women are protected from unethical marketing practices — and have access to the information and support they need to raise their families.”

Women in all of the countries polled reported a strong desire to breastfeed exclusively, with rates ranging from 49% in Morocco to 98 percent in Bangladesh. Despite this, the paper explains how a steady stream of deceptive marketing messaging is perpetuating stereotypes about breastfeeding and breast milk, and eroding women’s confidence in their ability to effectively nurse. These myths include the need for formula in the first days after birth, the inadequacy of breast milk for infant nutrition, the belief that specific infant formula ingredients have been proven to improve child development or immunity, the belief that formula keeps infants fuller for longer, and the belief that breast milk quality deteriorates over time.

Breastfeeding within the first hour of birth, followed by exclusive breastfeeding for six months and continued breastfeeding for up to two years or beyond, offers a powerful line of defense against all forms of child malnutrition, including wasting and obesity. Breastfeeding also acts as babies’ first vaccine, protecting them against many common childhood illnesses. It also reduces women’s future risk of diabetes, obesity and some forms of cancer. Yet globally, only 44 per cent of babies less than 6 months old are exclusively breastfed. Global breastfeeding rates have increased very little in the past two decades, while sales of formula milk have more than doubled in roughly the same time.

Alarmingly, the report notes that large numbers of health workers in all countries had been approached by the baby feeding industry to influence their recommendations to new mothers through promotional gifts, free samples, funding for research, paid meetings, events and conferences, and even commissions from sales, directly impacting parents’ feeding choices. More than one third of women surveyed said a health worker had recommended a specific brand of formula to them.

To address these challenges, WHO, UNICEF and partners are calling on governments, health workers, and the baby food industry to end exploitative formula milk marketing and fully implement and abide by the Code requirements. This includes: 

  • Passing, monitoring and enforcing laws to prevent the promotion of formula milk, in line with the International Code, including prohibiting nutrition and health claims made by the formula milk industry.
  • Investing in policies and programmes to support breastfeeding, including adequate paid parental leave in line with international standards, and ensuring high quality breastfeeding support.
  • Requesting industry to publicly commit to full compliance with the Code and subsequent World Health Assembly resolutions globally.
  • Banning health workers from accepting sponsorship from companies that market foods for infants and young children for scholarships, awards, grants, meetings, or events.

Source: WHO/UNICEF

Image Credit: Getty

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