The recently published Status Report 2022 on the implementation of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes highlights the lack of strong legislation to counter unethical marketing of these products in the WHO European Region.
Unethical marketing vs healthy breastfeeding
According to the report, the breast-milk substitutes industry uses unethical and even predatory marketing to promote their products worldwide.
“The tactic is the same in every country: it plays on anxieties around feeding our babies, and positions formula milk as a better alternative to breast milk. But the truth is that exclusive breastfeeding is the healthiest way to feed a baby for the first 6 months of life,” said Dr Kremlin Wickramasinghe, ad interim Head of the WHO European Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases (NCD Office).
Breastfeeding not only ensures the best conditions for growth and development, but also lowers children’s risks of obesity and noncommunicable diseases later in life.
To protect children’s health, countries of the European Region can take further steps in implementing the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and subsequent relevant World Health Assembly resolutions (collectively referred to as “the Code”).
Mothers and children in the Region need better protection
According to the report, a majority of European and central Asian countries have legislation prohibiting at least some forms of promotion.
But there is still much to be done. Most of the mentioned countries still have significant gaps in legislation and are vulnerable to unethical marketing of breast-milk substitutes. According to the report, only 10 out of 53 European and central Asian countries have measures clearly covering the full range of breast-milk substitutes.
“Many countries are lacking a legal framework that can prevent conflicts of interest, and some countries are not even protected from the most obvious forms of promotion, including digital advertising of baby formulas,” added Dr Wickramasinghe. “If Member States want to better protect the health of the next generation, they need to adopt the measures outlined in the Code.”
Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative training course
To highlight the findings and recommendations of the report which focus on the European Region, the NCD Office hosted an online launch event with key regional stakeholders and decision-makers on 31 May.
In addition, the NCD Office will be hosting a 3-week course on the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative in June. The training-of-trainers style course is designed to help all health workers who care for women and children and to provide them with the needed skills to play a key role in establishing and sustaining breastfeeding during the postnatal period and beyond.
The training also provides a platform that enables countries to share their experiences and ask questions to selected experts.