By Chioma Obinna

The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF; World Health Organisation, WHO, and partners have called on governments, health workers, as well as the baby food industry to end exploitative formula milk marketing by ensuring full implementation of the code for marketing breast milk substitutes. 

This is coming on the heels of a new report by the duo that revealed that over half of parents and pregnant women (51 per cent) had been exposed to the marketing of infant formula globally.

• READ ALSO: End exploitative marketing of baby milk — UNICEF, WHO urge govts

Some of the code requirements include the passing, monitoring, and enforcing of 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.

Reacting to the report, WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the new report showed very clearly that formula milk marketing remained unacceptably pervasive, misleading, and aggressive.

According to him, regulations on exploitative marketing must be urgently adopted and enforced to protect children’s health.

Also, the UNICEF Executive Director, Catherine Russell, noted that false and misleading messages about formula feeding were a substantial barrier to breastfeeding, “which we know is best for babies and mothers.

“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.”

The new report on “How marketing of formula milk influences our decisions on infant feeding” draws on interviews with parents, pregnant women, and health workers in eight countries, including Bangladesh, China, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and Viet Nam.

The report also uncovered systematic and unethical marketing strategies used by the formula milk industry to influence parents’ infant feeding decisions.

It also found that industry marketing techniques include unregulated and invasive online targeting; sponsored advice networks and helplines; promotions and free gifts; and practices to influence training and recommendations among health workers.