The MAIF agreement (the voluntary industry code regulating the marketing of infant formula in Australia) is being reviewed.
If you're in Australia and believe that we need better regulation please complete a survey.

http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/review-maif-agreement
The survey closes 23/3

Some points I would suggest for consideration in your answers
MAIF 
should cover anyone who sells infant formula, wholesale or retail
should have meaningful penalties for breaches of the agreement
should cover any product which is branded or marketed as a formula product (including toddler formulas), bottles and teats
should prevent health or functional claims on infant formula tins or educational materials (eg "promotes eye, brain and nerve development" or "supports the immune system")- otherwise how is any parent to understand that formula should be avoided if possible, if you read the tins they look like a health food!

APMAIF should
be free of commercial involvement in adjudication or complaints- it should consist only of public health experts and not include any individual who has received funding from industry

If you have made complaints in the past about marketing that clearly breaches MAIF but APMAIF has found it to be not a breach please provide information about this. 
Some examples would be, 
samples given to health professionals who are clinicians (under MAIF they are only supposed to be provided to health professionals for evaluation at the institutional level- APMAIF says that samples can be given to health professionals to give to mothers)
educational materials that are distributed via pharmacies and without approval of the health dept (under MAIF all educational materials require approval of the health dept)- all such materials, regardless of content should be in breach

It is really, really important to emphasise that not only is the MAIF agreement very flawed, that APMAIF does not even faithfully adjudicate this very weak code. 

If you have stopped complaining to APMAIF because you realised that there is no point in doing so, perhaps that complaining is even assisting industry in showing that they are good corporate citizens, please also make this point. As it is, industry points to their past record using APMAIF where there are virtually no breaches of MAIF and say "look aren't we good, there are no problems with inappropriate marketing of infant formula in AUstralia"

This is a very important opportunity- we actually have a health minister at the moment who has a clue about the marketing of infant formula (see http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/with-poverty-so-immense-how-we-help-is-crucial/2006/10/31/1162278139155.html)
Maybe we might get some change.

Karleen Gribble
Australia
             ***********************************************

Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html
To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]
Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask]
COMMANDS:
1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail
2. To start it again: set lactnet mail
3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome