According to a joint report by the World Health Organization, UNICEF and M&C Saatchi,Around the world, nearly all parents and pregnant women have access to “radical” formula marketing campaigns that violate global rules established after the scandal broke more than 40 years ago.
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These marketing tactics, including offering free samples and creating or joining various “mom groups” on popular messaging apps, could keep women away from breastfeeding, the report said.
Healthcare workers have also been targeted by the milk powder industry, receiving gifts of all kinds, research funding and even commissions from sales, all practices prohibited by international marketing guidelines for formula milk.
WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding of newborns as a healthier option when possible.
The report’s authors and several external experts say it is time to reform the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes. The WHO created the code in 1981 to regulate the industry following a scandal in the 1970s when Nestlé was accused of hindering mothers, especially in developing countries, from breastfeeding.
Still, the WHO says only 25 countries have fully implemented the regulation into legislation. Over the past 40 years, formula sales have more than doubled, while breastfeeding rates have risen only marginally. The formula milk industry is now worth $55 billion a year.
The report found that more than half of the 8,500 parents surveyed in eight countries (Bangladesh, China, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, the UK and Vietnam) said they had been exposed to marketing campaigns, many of which violated guidelines.
In China, 97% of women surveyed have been exposed to formula marketing, compared with 84% in the UK and 92% in Vietnam. Across all countries, more than one-third of women said they had been recommended a specific brand of formula by a healthcare worker.
While the guidelines allow for factual information about formula, and the authors acknowledge the importance of formula for women who cannot or do not want to breastfeed, they say marketing practices are a key reason for low breastfeeding rates globally.
WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for at least the first six months of life, but currently only 44% of babies are fed this way at this age.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement: “False and misleading information about formula feeding is a huge barrier to breastfeeding, and we know breastfeeding can be a huge barrier for babies and mothers alike. it’s the best.”
In response to the report, the International Institute of Special Diet Foods Industries (ISDI) said its members comply with all laws and regulations in the countries in which they operate. “Our members support governments’ efforts to ensure compliance with all national laws and regulations. Our members are ready to work with all stakeholders to support optimal infant health and well-being.”