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UN urges breastfeeding right after birth to reduce infant deaths [news] A weak formula for legislation - how loopholes in the law are putting babies at risk [7 August 2007] - A coalition of charities is demanding baby milk be treated like tobacco and subjected to a total advertising ban in the United Kingdom. The call mirrors campaigns in other parts of the world aimed at curbing formula milk advertising. The National Childbirth Trust, Save The Children and UNICEF blame adverts for many mothers abandoning breast feeding before the recommended six months. In a new report, they have asked the government to extend a ban on infant milk adverts to include "follow-on" milks for older babies. England's policy on the promotion of formula milk is currently being reviewed by the Food Standards Agency. At present, companies are not allowed to advertise formula milk for babies under six months. But they are allowed to promote so-called follow-on milks, a range for children aged between six months and two years. The charities accuse baby milk companies of using their follow-on milks to promote their products for younger infants by giving them the same name and logo so as to make them "virtually indistinguishable" to parents. "In similar ways to how tobacco companies found their way through loopholes in legislation restricting the advertising of cigarette promotion, formula milk companies are finding ways to exploit ambiguity in the law and to continue aggressively marketing their products to parents," says Belinda Phipps of the NCT. 'Sense of guilt' Breastfeeding is recommended for the first six months of a baby's life and the charities note that those children who are breastfed are better protected from infections and potentially from even more serious conditions later on in life. At present, some 76 per cent of UK mothers start out breastfeeding - up 7 per cent from 2000. However most move on to formula within weeks, and fewer than half still breastfeed by the time their child is six weeks old. By six months, only 25 per cent of mothers are breastfeeding at all. But Dr Ellie Lee of the University of Kent who has researched women's experiences of infant feeding said the impact of advertising on the decision to switch from breast to bottle was "negligible". In a study of mothers commissioned by The Infant and Dietetic Foods Association (IDFA), Dr Lee found that the decision to bottle feed was a "pragmatic decision based on personal circumstances". "Some do it because of the pain of feeding or so they can feed their child at more regular intervals, some so they can share responsibility for feeding the baby, others because they are thinking of going back to work. "Many mothers feel an immense sense of guilt and failure when they move on to the bottle, and this latest debate about advertising is likely to make them feel even worse." EU recommendations It has also been suggested that the increasing reluctance of health professionals to discuss formula milk as an option may mean some parents are not aware of the thorough sterilisation of feeding equipment that is needed to limit the risk of infection. The Food Standards Agency is currently working on new regulations for the promotion of formula milk which would take into account the latest EU directive. The charities involved in the report want the FSA to agree to a ban, noting that the new European recommendations in particular stress that information on formula "should not counter the promotion of breast feeding". It is unclear whether a ban is likely, but it is thought that companies will no longer be able to make claims about similarity to breast milk on their packets under new restrictions. A number of companies have slogans such as "even closer to breast milk", "the closest to breast milk" on their packaging, pointing to the fatty acids and probiotic bacteria found in breast milk that are included in the ingredients. Two United Nations agencies kicked off World Breastfeeding Week, which began on 1 August, with a call for enabling new mothers to nurse their babies immediately after birth to prevent a significant number of neonatal deaths in developing countries. “More than one third of child deaths occur during the first fragile month of life,” said Ann M. Veneman, Executive Director of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF). “Early breastfeeding provides critical nutrients, protects infants against deadly diseases and fosters growth and development.” UNICEF estimates that exclusive breastfeeding to the age of six months can prevent the deaths of 1.3 million children under the age of five each year. The issue is particularly relevant in sub-Saharan Africa, which has the highest infant mortality rate in the world. Some 10 per cent of all babies there die before the age of one and most neonatal deaths occur at home. Though the rate of exclusive breastfeeding until the age of six months has more than doubled in the region since 1990 – to 30 per cent – this still leaves hundreds of thousands of children vulnerable to disease and death. The UN World Health Organization (WHO) too recommends that all children be exclusively breastfed for six months, and believes colostrum – the sticky, yellowish substance that is rich in antibodies and produced by the mother soon after birth – is the perfect food for every newborn. Mother’s “first milk” not only nourishes, but it also protects and is “just what the baby needs during its first few days,” according to WHO. “In a world where more than 10 million children die before their fifth birthday due to preventable causes, and where malnutrition is still rampant and associated with over half of all childhood deaths, there is simply no time to waste,” stated WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan, stressing that breastfeeding needs to start in the first hour of life. However, due to a widespread lack of awareness of its qualities and its key role in contributing to the health and growth of newborns, colostrum is frequently discarded. Feeding water or other liquids deprives babies of a good start in life, notes the agency Information and resources Organisations
A weak formula for legislation - how loopholes in the law are putting babies at risk [report]
UN call for World Breastfeeding Week
News and reports
pdf: http://www.crin.org/docs/Weakformula.pdf