A controversial formula

This appalling death toll is compounded by illegal marketing practices. International regulations forbid providing samples of infant formula to new mothers, but in the Philippines, Nestlé has been exposed for hiring graduate nurses as ‘health educators’ to visit mothers at home and try to convince them to use their products.

Nestlé was also nailed for running Baby World Clubs for pregnant women in Singapore. The company said these were for health education, but campaigners claimed they also helped to promote Nestlé products.

Current regulations
The World Health Resolutions of the World Health Assembly have clarified and amplified the International Code on the marketing of formula.

Baby food companies may not:

• Give free supplies of baby milk to hospitals
• Promote their products to the public or health workers
• Use baby pictures on their baby milk, bottle and teat labels
• Give gifts to mothers or health workers
• Give free samples to parents
• Promote baby foods or drinks for babies under six months old
• Use labels that are not in a language
understood by the mother and that do not include a prominent health warning

Follow-on milk
In the UK, consumer marketing of formulas aimed at infants up to six months is banned. But no such restrictions apply to follow-on milk, which can be freely advertised and conveniently carries the same brand names as the baby formulas.

Market leader SMA, for example, spends £1.5 million a year on television and press ads for their follow-on milk.

Cynics believe that follow-on milk was invented purely for the purpose of raising awareness of these brand names. The World Health Organisation has stated that follow-on milk – which offers little more than a bit of extra iron and vitamin C – is unnecessary.

Parents can take comfort from the fact that all baby milks must comply with the Infant Formula and Follow-on Formula Regulations that control the composition, labelling and marketing of infant formulas in the UK.

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