|
The Australian Breastfeeding Association joins people in over 120 countries around the world celebrating World Breastfeeding Week from 1-7 August.
You can help! People around Australia and the world are reporting harmful marketing of artificial baby milk (infant formula) during World Breastfeeding Week.
The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) is the organisation that runs World Breastfeeding Week. In 2006 they are highlighting that it is 25 years since the start of the 'WHO Code', which is the World Health Organization International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes.
The Australian Breastfeeding Association is following a similar theme for World Breastfeeding Week, 'Breastmilk - Nothing Else Comes Close'. We want to educate parents, health professionals, government bodies and the public that artificial baby milk (infant formula) is a health risk to infants and that its marketing should be controlled.
According to the National Health and Medical Research Council there is considerable evidence to suggest that mothers' infant feeding choices are strongly influenced by advertising.
The Association believes information and education about infant feeding should be provided by medical advisors and not by those with commercial interest in women weaning their babies from breastfeeding.
Twenty five years ago the World Health Organization recognised that one of the biggest barriers to breastfeeding is persuasive marketing by infant formula manufacturers that gives mothers the impression that infant formula is as good or nearly as good for babies as breastmilk.
In response, member nations, including Australia, developed and signed the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, commonly called the 'WHO Code'.
What is the WHO Code?
It is an international set of rules designed to protect babies, parents and health professionals from harmful marketing of all breastmilk substitutes. More than 70 governments around the world have all or many of the code's provisions as law.
Some of the main points of the code include:
- no advertising of breastmilk substitutes
- no free samples or free or low cost supplies
- no promotion of products through healthcare facilities
- not idealising artificial feeding on labels
- no contact between infant formula marketers and mothers
The code applies to both companies and governments. Although Australia was one of the original signatories of the Code, manufacturers and retailers in Australia continue to market effectively to parents.
What are we doing in Australia?
At the moment Australia has not implemented the full WHO Code, despite being a signatory to it.
In 1992 the Australian government implemented its own code called the 'Marketing in Australia of Infant Formulas: Manufacturers and Importers (MAIF) Agreement', commonly called the MAIF Agreement.
However, it is nowhere near as extensive or powerful as the WHO code in what it covers.
For instance, it applies only to manufacturers and importers of infant formulas (retailers are excluded) and only covers infant formulas (not other milk products such a follow-on milk for toddlers, or feeding bottles and teats).
The MAIF agreement is a voluntary agreement between the Australian Government and the Infant Formula Manufacturers Association of Australia and is not legally binding. Not all infant formula manufacturers have signed on to the MAIF agreement and there is no legal requirement for them to do so.
What can I do to help?
Join people in 120 countries around the world who will be monitoring harmful marketing of infant formula in World Breastfeeding Week!
The Australian Breastfeeding Association would like Australia to implement the WHO code in its entirety. We'd also like for it to be legally binding and for companies to have some meaningful penalty for breaching it.
To do this we need to raise awareness of the risks of artificial feeding with the public and health professionals and lobby the government.
Starting in World Breastfeeding Week you can help by:
- Monitoring your area for harmful marketing practices. Visit supermarkets and pharmacies, check magazines and other print media, the internet, TV and radio.
What things constitute harmful marketing?
- Advertising of artificial baby milk (infant formula) to the general public
- Giving away of free samples of artificial baby milk
- Promotional information that idealises the use of artificial baby milk or implies it is equal to, or better than, breastmilk
- Promotional information on artificial baby milk that doesn't include clear information on the benefits and superiority of breastfeeding
- Giveaways that include the names of artificial baby milk brands, eg posters, notepads and mugs, or gifts of any utensils that may promote artificial feeding (eg bottles and teats)
- Collect a 'Bad Bag' of harmful marketing advertisements and forward these to the Federal Minister for Health, Tony Abbott, and to the chair of the MAIF advisory panel, Pru Goward (addresses below).
- Report breaches of the MAIF agreement using the form here.
- Write or talk to your federal MP about implementing the WHO code and the importance of protecting breastfeeding. You can download a sample letter here.(MSWord format) Find out who your federal MP is here.
Addresses
APMAIF Secretariat
Department of Health and Ageing
Mail Drop Point 15
GPO Box 9848
ACT 2601
Hon Tony Abbott MHR
Minister for Health and Ageing
House of Representatives
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Want to check what other people in the world are doing? You can visit the World Breastfeeding Week harmful marketing monitoring page.
Top
|
