WHO and Unicef ​​Point Out the False Advertisement of Powdered Milk for Babies

In a recent report by Unicef, together with the World Health Organization, the abusive and unethical practices that manufacturers of powdered milk for babies have been developing are evident. According to the international organization, which has followed up on this situation, 50% of parents and pregnant mothers are exposed to these messages that put the health of their newborns at risk.

To collect this data, the WHO and UNICEF carried out an investigation in which parents and medical personnel were interviewed in eight countries from different regions of the world. The data collected from this study revealed that marketing strategies generate about 48,000 million euros in sales to manufacturers regardless of how dangerous they can be for infants.

What are they doing through misleading advertising?

One thing clear from this research is that some companies care little about the damage they can cause if they make huge profits from the sale of their products. Practices such as unregulated advertising, promotions, gifts and influence in the training of health personnel to show that artificial milk is a better option than breast milk is what really worries the WHO.

The companies that execute these strategies do so without any scientific basis and, therefore, would be violating the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, whose objective is to protect mothers from misleading messages through marketing.

“False and misleading information about breast-milk substitutes is a major barrier to breastfeeding, which is otherwise the best solution for babies and their mothers,” says Catherine Russell, Executive Director of UNICEF.

“We have been targeted with marketing from formula milk companies.”

Over half of parents & pregnant women exposed to formula milk marketing, violating international standards and harming child health
-? WHO, @UNICEF survey

➡️ https://t.co/86Bf69PSeK#EndExploitativeMarketing pic.twitter.com/BuhQPgM3OX

— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) February 22, 2022

What are the most common lies used by these companies?

Everything indicates that the reference to increase their sales is to make women believe that breast milk is not enough to keep their babies in good condition and, therefore, influences women to stop doing it to use artificial products.

The most common lies are:

The newborn must be given powdered milk for babies in its first days.

Breastfeeding does not have the nutritional capacity of the newborn.

Powdered milk is better for the immune system of children.

Breast milk loses its nutritional quality over time.

Powdered milk products give a better feeling of satiety than breast milk.

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The previous examples s are evidence of how companies approach misleading advertising. From the moment a child is born, it is essential to feed him with breast milk for the first six months and up to two years to guarantee his ideal nutrition. On the other hand, the natural practice is important to combat the critical events that can occur in the first thirty days of a newborn. In addition, this also helps the mother to reduce the chances of suffering from diseases such as diabetes, obesity and even cancer in the future.

What is worrying about the matter is that, despite the benefits related to breastfeeding, in the world only 44% of children can be fed exclusively with breast milk in the first semester of life. However, another alarming fact is that in the last twenty years the global rate of breastfeeding has grown minimally. Meanwhile, the sale of artificial milk has doubled its expansion in the market, making parents believe that it is the best way to feed their babies.

Recommendations of the World Health Organization

The WHO, which has its eyes on this issue, has categorically asked both companies and governments and health personnel to enforce the International Code and also to stop misleading promotion of products that harm children in their first months of life.

According to the agency, it is important to start executing policies to avoid this type of advertising, invest in social programs that strengthen breastfeeding, put a magnifying glass on companies that manufacture artificial milk so that they comply with the resolutions of the World Health Assembly and prohibit the sponsorships that companies make to medical personnel so that they do not continue to recommend their products to patients.