The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that advertisements promote unhealthy baby foods to parents and caregivers, thereby reinforcing negative misconceptions about breastfeeding.
As a result, member states of the WHO urged for the regulation of advertisements concerning formula milk and baby foods during the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly.
A research study conducted by the WHO in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) revealed that more than half of new parents had encountered promotions from formula milk companies.
In certain countries, this figure exceeded 90 percent. The new resolution addresses the marketing of formula milks, teats, bottles, and foods intended for infants and young children.
This resolution represents a significant agreement ratified by the World Health Assembly in 1981, aimed at safeguarding parents and caregivers from aggressive marketing tactics employed by the baby food industry.
“Recently, new digital marketing strategies have emerged, such as influencer endorsements, virtual ‘support groups,’ and targeted advertising directed at pregnant women and new parents across their social media platforms. Many of these promotions are financed by baby food companies, yet their sponsorship remains undisclosed. Advertisements are extensively disseminated across national borders, presenting new regulatory challenges,” the WHO statement indicated.
To enhance regulation, member states advocated for robust regulatory measures to oversee the marketing of breast-milk substitutes and foods for infants and young children, particularly in digital contexts, while fully considering the recommendations outlined in the Guidance on regulatory measures aimed at restricting digital marketing of breast-milk substitutes.
They also emphasized the need to strengthen monitoring systems and technologies to identify and report on the marketing of breast-milk substitutes and foods for infants and young children.
This would guarantee that these systems are adequately prepared to identify unsuitable marketing practices in digital settings, while also empowering the relevant government agencies tasked with the domestic enforcement and oversight of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes.
