Human infants and young children are most likely to survive, grow and develop to their full potential when breastfed. Despite scientific evidence more infants are fed formula milks today than ever before. Credit:Formula milk marketing tactics are exploitative, and regulations must be urgently strengthened and properly implemented, according to a new three-paper Series published in.
The Series outlines the exploitative tactics used by formula milk companies to sell their products, including taking advantage of parents' worries about their children's health and development. One common reason women introduce formula milk is interpreting unsettled baby behavior, especially disrupted sleep and persistent crying, as a sign that breast milk is insufficient. However, sleep patterns of babies are not the same as for adults and unsettled baby behaviors are common.
In recent years, digital communications have greatly increased the reach of marketing in ways that blur the difference between advertising and the provision of nutrition and care advice.
As well as influencing political organizations, the authors argue formula milk companies also draw on the credibility of science by sponsoring professional organizations, publishing sponsored articles in scientific journals, and inviting leaders in public health onto advisory boards and committees, leading to unacceptable conflicts of interest within public health.
Half a billion working women globally are not entitled to adequate maternity protection. A systematic review of studies found women with a minimum of three months' maternity leave, paid or unpaid, were at least 50% more likely to continue breastfeeding compared to women returning to work within three months of giving birth.
"Many governments fail to protect mothers and children from unethical marketing practices because of the economic and political power of trans-national companies. The extreme power of corporations relative to public-interest bodies must be rebalanced. Anti-trust legislation and the ending of corporate tax abuse would help reverse the favoring of private financial interests at the expense of the rights of mothers and infants," says Professor David McCoy, United Nations University.