“Our big concern is there are a lot of unethical marketing practices and what we would consider to be predatory marketing practices,” says BFLGI member Liz O’Sullivan, a dietician, lecturer in nutrition and mother of two. “Even where there is legislation to protect families, it is really poorly enforced.”
The benefits of breastfeeding are numerous. Breastfed children have a lower incidence and severity of many illnesses, including respiratory and urinary tract infections, gastroenteritis, diabetes, and childhood cancers, according to aLancet report, Breastfeeding in the 21st Century . In mothers, breastfeeding was found to help prevent breast cancer and reduce the risk of ovarian cancer and diabetes. The WHO’s website says breastfed children perform better on intelligence tests, too.
The code is strongest in relation to newborns. In Ireland, companies can’t actively market formula for babies up to six months but are adept at getting around it, says O’Sullivan. They bolster brand awareness by heavily promoting similar products such as “follow-on milks”. The formula companies are adept at creating a brand affinity without mentioning a product, one marketer says. “When [corporation name] market infant formula, they do need to tiptoe a bit around stuff before 12 months, but they still do all sorts of things. They don’t talk about product at all, it’s like, ’Call our advice line’, ‘Join our baby club,’ no mention of a product, so you can market without talking about a product.” This approach gets around regulation and makes enforcement difficult.
“If you look at the products, they have teddy bears, a picture of a cot, a mammy goat and a baby goat. One logo has a love heart on it, another looks like a mum holding a baby, another has a shield. All of these things look like they are idealising the product, but the Food Safety Authority of Ireland says they are not..
Separate research as part of the ESRI’s Growing Up in Ireland study asks mothers who did not initiate breastfeeding why. Almost 49 per cent said “formula feeding was preferable” . Some 17 per cent cited inconvenience/fatigue and a further 18 per cent cited reasons including difficulty with breastfeeding techniques, soreness, not enough milk and problems feeding a previous baby.
Maternity hospitals should not be providing free formula. That would help a lot.
There is no lack of support for mothers to breastfeed should they want to. There are various information and short groups around. The fact is that’s it’s easier for many mothers to bottle feed. And many choose this option. It’s their choice.