Pamela describes the low 'tricks' formula manufacturers will get up 
to, when permitted.

I agree - the only real answer to this is full international adoption 
and monitoring with sanctions of the WHO code.

Although a member, I am not very active in Baby Milk Action but I am 
supposing that the reason for this:


>
>But what I find most curious about the list of Nestle products to 
>boycott which you've sent in is the important note from Baby Milk 
>Action preceding it, which says, "Nestle baby formulas are not on 
>the boycott list because sometimes they are needed for medical 
>reasons."


....is that this is primarily a *consumer* boycott, and that some 
consumers find themselves using Nestle formula for their babies, for 
'medical reasons'.  It would be harsh to require that a mother, 
possibly let down by the health services, who is using a Nestle 
formula, stop using the brand to comply with the boycott.
>
>
>Pamela Morrison IBCLC (curious in England, appalled at the low 
>breastfeeding rates, even more disgusted that my government hands 
>out vouchers for free formula to low-income mothers, and that some 
>of my colleagues actually _defend_ this, and wishing for a properly 
>implemented Code that covered all formulas/foods marketed for 
>baby/toddlers for the full two years that they should be 
>BREASTfed...)


Don't be 'disgusted' with your colleagues, Pamela! The situation is 
not quite as you describe - low income mothers get 'Healthy Start' 
vouchers of a few pounds a week, which can be exchanged for certain 
items (fruit, veg etc) and formula is on the list. This was a huge 
step forward from a few years ago, when formula feeding mothers 
actually got vouchers and bf mothers did not get the equivalent 
monetary value in non-formula milk vouchers.

There are those of us who if not exactly defending this, accept that 
this is a stage in a political process which should include genuine 
social and cultural change in breastfeeding.

Stopping all cut-price formula to low income mothers may have 
unintended consequences for infant health - and the intended 
consequences of protecting breastfeeding won't happen without other 
profound and wide-spread changes in infant feeding support.

Heather Welford Neil
NCT bfc, tutor, UK
-- 

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