More than half of parents and pregnant women exposed to aggressive marketing of formula – WHO, UNICEF

More than half of parents and pregnant women (51%) surveyed for the new WHO / UNICEF report say they were targeted by marketing by formula companies, much of which violates international standards on infant feeding practices.

Report, How formula marketing influences our infant feeding decisions, is based on interviews with parents, pregnant women and health professionals in eight countries. It exposes the systematic and unethical marketing strategies used by the formula industry – now worth a staggering $ 55 billion – to influence parents’ decisions about infant feeding.

The report reveals that industrial marketing techniques include unregulated and invasive online targeting; sponsored advisory networks and helplines; promotions and free gifts; and practices to influence training and referrals among health professionals. Messages received by parents and health professionals are often misleading, unsubstantiated and violate the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes (Code) – a significant public health agreement passed by the World Health Assembly in 1981 to protect mothers from aggressive marketing practices in the pediatric industry. food.

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

According to the report – which surveyed 8,500 parents and pregnant women and 300 health workers in cities across Bangladesh, China, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, the United Kingdom and Vietnam – exposure to milk formula marketing reaches 84% ​​of all women surveyed in the UK; 92% of women surveyed in Vietnam and 97% of women surveyed in China, increasing their likelihood of choosing formula-fed feeding.

“False and misleading messages about formula feeding are a significant barrier to breastfeeding, which we know is best for babies and mothers,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “We need strong policies, legislation and investment in breastfeeding to ensure that women are protected from unethical marketing practices – and have access to the information and support they need to raise a family.”

In all countries included in the study, women expressed a strong desire to exclusively breastfeed, ranging from 49% of women in Morocco to 98% in Bangladesh. Nevertheless, the report details how the ongoing flow of deceptive marketing messages reinforces myths about breastfeeding and breast milk and undermines women’s confidence in their ability to breastfeed successfully. These myths include the need for formula in the first days after birth, the inadequacy of breast milk for infants, that specific ingredients in infant formula have been shown to improve a child’s development or immunity, the perception that formula keeps infants longer and that breast milk quality declines over time.

Breastfeeding within the first hour of birth, followed exclusively by breastfeeding for six months and continuing to breastfeed for up to two years or later, offers a strong line of defense against all forms of child malnutrition, including loss and obesity. Breastfeeding also acts as the first vaccine for babies, protecting them from many common childhood diseases. It also reduces the future risk of women from diabetes, obesity and some forms of cancer. Yet, globally, only 44% of babies under 6 months are exclusively breastfed. Global breastfeeding rates have increased very little in the last two decades, while sales of formula have more than doubled in about the same time.

Alarmingly, the report states that a large number of health workers in all countries have been approached by the baby feeding industry to influence their recommendations to new mothers through promotional gifts, free samples, research funding, paid meetings, events and conferences, and even commissions. from sales, directly influencing the choice of parental diet. More than a third of the women surveyed said that their health care provider recommended a certain brand of formula.

To address these challenges, WHO, UNICEF and partners are urging governments, healthcare professionals and the baby food industry to end the exploitative marketing of formula milk and fully implement and comply with the Code. This includes:

• Adopt, monitor and enforce laws to prevent the promotion of formula, in accordance with the International Code, including the prohibition of nutrition and health claims made by the formula industry.
• Investing in breastfeeding support policies and programs, including adequate paid parental leave in accordance with international standards, and providing high-quality breastfeeding support.
• Asking the industry to publicly commit to full compliance with the Code and subsequent World Health Assembly resolutions globally.
• Prohibit health professionals from accepting sponsorship from companies that sell infant and young child food for scholarships, awards, grants, meetings, or events.

Notes for editors

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